The Twelfth Girl
by ShadowGrace
Summary: This is the story of how Henry fell in love with Kate. Book 1 in Henry's POV. Full summary inside. Rated T.
1. Preparations

_**Full Summary**_**: Hades – or Henry, as he's called now – hasn't been the same since his wife, and the love of his life, left him for a mortal. He can't rule over his realm alone. To continue, he requires a queen. All he wants to do now is fade and disappear from the world, but the council, and specifically his sister Diana, have other things in mind. Eleven girls have died because of him. What will become of the twelfth girl?**

**Okay, so I literally just finished the second book (eek!) and, like all good stories do, I had the urge to see if it had its own little corner of FanFiction. And so here I am. (:**

****There will be spoilers. If you haven't read the second book, I highly recommend you do so.****

**This is rated T for TEEN, because it is, in fact, a romance. And I'm still debating on whether or not there will be any sort of violence (i.e., fights.)**

**Just a reminder: This is basically the first book told in Henry's point of view. I will have the book by Aimee Carter next to me to make sure that things are in order, but **_**no**_**, I do not plan on just copying and pasting their conversations. Henry is a pretty thoughtful guy, and I plan on reviewing most of that.**

**Another reminder: I am not Aimee Carter; therefore I do not own the Goddess Test Series. All characters/plot/etc. go to their rightful owner(s).**

_The Twelfth Girl_

_1: Preparations_

I knew I shouldn't be in this room. It had been hers. Persephone's. It was exactly like she had left it, too – there was even a dress in the corner, a much older style of what the girls ran around wearing today. I picked up the picture of my first, and only, wife. It wasn't a photograph, really. It had been taken before humans had invented photography. No, it was a memory. And it was false.

I liked to pretend that it was real, that she really did look like that. That when she came back to the Underworld for the fall and the winter that she really did look at me the way I looked at her. But I could remember back to those days, when she was miserable, and I hurt from trying to make things perfect for her. It still hadn't been enough. In the memory, her hair was already turning from its wheat gold color to the red it became in the fall. It would then turn black, as dark as my own hair, before lightening up when she left for the spring and summer.

I shook my head and placed the memory back down on the shelf where it had belonged for the last thousand years, and where it was going to stay. Because this girl – the one that my sister, Diana, had brought into this world – barely had a chance of survival. I sighed and ran a hand over my face. I still didn't understand why I agreed to this. Two decades ago, Diana had forced me to not give up. She had told me that she would bring another girl into the world, and that she would be perfect for me. Diana said that she would pass.

Eleven girls had died before they even had the chance to pass or fail. If someone had managed to get through my defenses eleven times, what chance did another girl have? I had changed out my staff. I had interviewed the girls that had died. I had gone through meticulous measures to make sure that my home, Eden Manor, hadn't been broken into. And it didn't turn up anything.

I sighed again and turned to leave. Diana wasn't here, she hadn't been in for the last eighteen years, but if she knew that I was still standing in her daughter's room, wishing that things could've been different, she would be crushed. My sister blamed herself for what had happened between Persephone and me. I couldn't imagine why. It was our own faults. She was a free spirit, and I had kept her caged. _I_ was the reason Persephone had left to live forever with her mortal lover, Adonis.

Standing in the doorway was Calliope. In the older days, she'd been known as Hera. Now, she stayed here at the Eden Manor with me and the rest of them, preparing for the act they were going to put on for Diana's second daughter, the last mortal girl to ever come through these doors. I sighed with the thought of dealing with Calliope. I loved my sister, but I didn't _love_ her. And she'd made it clear to me that she loved me in a way that would not please her husband, my brother, Walter.

"Henry," She said calmly, stepping into the room. She brushed a lock of blonde hair behind her ear, batting her thick eyelashes at me. As the goddess of marriage, she certainly was in a twisted one. Walter was Zeus, and, just like the stories said, he had a series of lovers. Calliope's jealousy had grown with each one. Now she was acting out on her own, taking her own chance at obliterating fidelity. But I'd already told her that she could not even begin to be what I needed. One thing was for sure, though, Calliope was persistent. "I thought I could find you in here."

"Yes, well," I replied, giving her a blank expression. If anything, I needed to get away from Calliope and prepare to endure the next few months. I was determined to keep this twelfth girl safe, if only because she was Diana's daughter. "You've found me."

"Walter and Phillip would like a word with you," She said it in a purring way, lowering her voice and looking at me with wide eyes. It didn't matter what she did, I did not feel any other way towards Calliope than something shared between siblings. Besides, her attempts had gone from being nearly harmless to like this – over the top and, honestly, quite embarrassing for a goddess.

I blinked at her, ignoring her advances. I turned my back to her. "Thank you, Calliope." Instead of trying to figure out a way past her, I flashed out of the room, to the ballroom where the council members' chairs sat. And consequently, where my brothers Walter and Phillip sat, discussing something.

"Brother," Walter nodded to me as I stepped into the room. Eden Manor was mine, and yet Walter still managed to make me feel like I was lucky to be in my own ballroom. All of the stories between us – between Hades and Zeus – had been somewhat true. Like all myths, time had rearranged them, giving us different goals and actions and words. Walter and I had always been friends, but there were times when the two of us fought. Still, I had never tried to take his realm from him, just as he had never tried to take mine. I nodded in return, taking my seat. "I trust that your preparations are going well?" He asked.

"As well as they can," I answered, trying to keep the bitterness out of my voice. Walter had done nothing to me. Nothing but beg me to try one last time. This was it. If this girl didn't survive, I would fade, just as I had asked them to let me all those years ago. In three months, I expected to be saying goodbye to a twelfth girl and to be facing whatever came for a god when the people no longer believed in him.

Phillip looked over at me. Phillip had never really had a wife, yet he had managed to control his realm without troubles. He was Poseidon; his job was to care for the oceans of the earth. There honestly weren't any stories that showcased him with a wife. It had always been Walter and Calliope, or Persephone with me. How had he managed to make it through without the council eyeing him the way they did me? Granted, my job as overseer to all that happened in the Underworld was a little more complicated than that of Phillip's, who spent the majority of his "free" time trying to figure out how to send a message to the humans to keep the oceans clean from debris. "Diana will be arriving in Eden in the next few days." He said.

"I'm aware of that," I replied.

"Is the manor on lockdown?" Walter asked, glancing at me with his eyebrows raised. He was the youngest of us. I was the oldest. Yet he was the leader of the council, not that I could really complain. I was good at my job, and he at his. But his façade that he was the oldest and the wisest had been gnawing on my nerves for centuries. The rest of us kept ourselves quite young – from me to Calliope, who couldn't be seen with her husband without looking like she was his granddaughter.

"It is," I told him. "It has been for quite some time now. All of the rooms have been searched. The majority of the staff that will be in close contact with the girl are one of us." I told him. I intended to keep Theo around her at all times, and, if Ava could ignore her urges to be the prettiest and the most wanted girl around, I wanted her there, too. Hopefully Ava could make friends with Diana's daughter.

"Well, this is something new, isn't it?" Walter asked, settling into his chair. I looked at Phillip, who was nodding quietly to himself. It certainly was different. Never before had the entire council showed up just to test the girl. It had always been just a few of them. But now they were all going undercover as ghosts, as the dead that had been given a second chance at the Eden Manor before going to the Underworld. Walter, as stoic as he wanted to be, would stand below me for the first time in a long time. Phillip had already staked a claim on the stables. Ella and Theo hadn't wanted to be separated, but I needed Theo to watch over the girl with hawk eyes, and be ready to heal her if anything went wrong while Ella played the role of her dressing maid. Irene would teach her, and James would eventually lead her here. It was all planned out. To the hope of the council, it would all work out like a well-oiled machine.

"Yes it is," I agreed. "And here's to hoping that it all works out." I said it blatantly, not trying to put any sort of emotion behind it. If I did, they would all see right through it. My brothers were well aware of the fact that I had tried to give up. I had tried to fade. They were the ones keeping me here. They would probably not appreciate the attempt, even if it was well faked.

"Henry," Phillip said, calmly, as usual. "We don't want to see you fade. All we ask is that you try."

"I've been trying for nearly a century, _Poseidon_." I replied angrily. It happened sometimes. When they continued to push, I eventually snapped at them. Walter and Phillip remained unsurprised, their expressions blank. I worked to make mine exactly like theirs. "And, when this twelfth girl is dead, I hope you look back at this and wish that you would have just let me fade."

# # #

I hadn't talked to my sister in years. It was hard to talk to her, with her in her mortal form. Besides, she was supposed to be sick. She was supposed to be on the brink of death. If her daughter really was as compassionate as the council hoped, Diana would not be able to sneak away from her to speak to me. Even so, I knew Diana's plans. And I knew her hopes.

Diana never failed to blame herself for what had happened between Persephone and I. She always pointed out that she was the one who had pushed Persephone into an arranged marriage with me against her will. But we were both hoping that she would learn to love me, just as I learned to love her. Instead, my love had turned her away. She had turned to the others for comfort. And that was when I lost her. She was bitingly unfaithful to me, while all I ever did was try to please her. And for some reason, I couldn't stop trying to please her, the way Calliope had for Walter. And unlike Calliope, I couldn't find it in me to punish Persephone's lovers. Especially since the first one of them was my own brother, James.

James was destined to take my spot of Diana's daughter failed. If I faded, he would become king of the Underworld. I imagined that he would have to start looking for his own queen, since I'd needed one. But that wouldn't be a problem for him. James had been worried for a long time about his own status. He wasn't one of the original six. His father was not Cronus. And, due to that, less people knew who he was. There was a fair amount of people that knew of Walter and me, but Hermes – James's ancient name – was only remembered in silly cartoon movies showcasing the gods as something they were not. And so he had worried that one day he would fade because people no longer remembered him or believed in him.

Without humanity, all of the gods would be lost. All, supposedly, except for me. Those that had died needed someone to watch over their souls. And as the god of the Underworld, it was right in my description. I knew James wanted my position. He was the next in line for it because he knew so much about it. As god of travel and messages, he was always searching in places he shouldn't. And, long ago, the Underworld had poised itself as a blank page on his map. Now, he knew his way around nearly as well as I did. If he did get my position after I was gone, he would have no problems with it.

But I didn't want him to have it, not really. He'd already taken so much from me. Persephone was my wife, yet she was his lover. It had become increasingly difficult to look at him and know that he was with my wife. Persephone had never loved me, not the way she loved her mortal. Not even the way she loved James, a toy to her at the time.

Diana wasn't appalled at the news. The majority of my brothers and sisters had lovers. And most of the time, they had been in plain sight. Persephone's unfaithfulness to me wasn't all that strange at the time. For a goddess. A human woman would have been persecuted. But even so, Diana had been upset. She had always been my favorite sister, and I hoped that I was her favorite brother.

There was a knock on my door. "Henry?" It sounded like Calliope. Why couldn't she leave me alone? I thought that I'd made our stance clear. She could not – she _would_ not – be my queen. She didn't even have the fraction of the love that I had for Persephone. She opened the door and stepped inside.

"Yes, come in," I said, adding a little bit of sarcasm to my words. I wasn't sure if Calliope picked up on it, but if she did, she didn't say anything. She closed the door behind her and went to sit next to me on the bed. Abruptly, I stood up, and moved to the window. She followed as I leaned against the sill.

"You don't have to do this, you know." Calliope told me quietly. "Another girl will just cause more trouble. You might as well find someone that doesn't have to do the tests." She added. I kept my eyes from looking at her. "For example," She began. But that's where I cut her off.

"Calliope, I already told you that I was not going to make you my queen."

"I didn't say I needed to be queen of the Underworld," She said, her nose wrinkling slightly. "All I'm saying is that I'm here for you. You don't have to even try to care for another girl. Constantly bringing new girls in is not healthy for you." She put her hand on my arm, and I shrugged away from her.

"Please, Calliope. Don't cause any more trouble." I told her quietly. She stood there for a moment, and then she huffed, heading for the door.

"Don't say I didn't warn you." She added right before she opened the door and closed it behind her. I heard the sound of her heels as she walked away. And then I leaned on the sill of the window and looked out over the gardens of the manor. Diana had always loved the gardens. Without her care for the past eighteen years, they'd grown wary. Upon her return I was sure they would brighten up.

# # #

With this girl, I wasn't sure what to expect. At the beginning of my century of searching, I wasn't too excited about it. But I'd had some form of hope. After Ingrid, the first girl, died and the culprit never found, my hope started to shrink. And with each girl that had passed through these doors expecting immortality and that had left as a ghost, it had disappeared a little more. Diana's daughter would be my last hope to staying alive. But I wasn't sure I had hope anymore.

This whole thing was orchestrated much more than what I could have imagined, though. With my brothers and sisters nearby and staying close, they would be able to judge the girl to the fullest extent. And this time, I didn't have to choose her myself. Somehow or another, she would come to me. And then I could bring her into the manor, like I'd done with eleven others.

"I don't like this." James said, standing beside Ava. The two of them had come along with Dylan and Irene – they were planning to become part of the girl's school system. James, Ava, and Dylan were going to pose as students. But James was already starting to have second guesses.

"It needs to be done," Ava replied, brushing a lock of blonde hair over her shoulder. "And it shouldn't take too long. The autumn equinox isn't far from now. That'll be the start of her six months."

Dylan was surprisingly silent. He was usually the type that I would consider a go-getter. As the god of war, I would have painted him as a fellow that would want to have the first round of attack. He'd want strategy. But strategy and thought was Irene's domain. Still, she was silent as Ava and James debated back and forth.

I tuned them out. I didn't need to hear their plans. I would know them all eventually. Walter was intent on making sure that this worked. I couldn't care less if it did.

"Henry, are you listening?"

"Hmm?" I asked, turning to face them. Ava had her hands on her hips, and she was glaring at me defiantly.

"What do you think about it?"

"What do I think about what?"

"You _weren't_ listening," She said. "I was asking you what you thought about me bringing her here before the autumn equinox. We can see if she's even worthy to be immortal."

"What does it take nowadays?" James asked with a snort. I ignored him, focusing on Ava.

"I don't care how you bring her here. But I'll know the moment she sets foot on Eden Manor." Ava opened her mouth to say something. Knowing her, it would probably be to argue.

Irene cut her off. "Ava, we'll figure it out, okay?" Like always, she was the embodiment of wisdom. She had a calming sort of attitude. But she could change on the dot. In one moment she could be preaching about morals and life, and the next moment she'd be ready to take down an entire army on her own. "Let's just leave Henry alone. He's got a lot to think about."

Yes. I did have a lot to think about.

Like how to keep Diana's daughter alive.

**On my own standards, this is a pretty short chapter. Sorry for that. Be looking forward to longer stories in the future.**

**As for this POV, I found this more challenging than I'd expected. In my mind, Henry is sort of… angst-ridden. I was hoping that I conveyed that without being whiney. We shall see!**

**As always, I ask that you review and favorite this story. Hopefully this story will take off, but I will be honest and say that I have several stories that I'm writing, and sometimes it takes a while before I upload. As long as inspiration strikes, though, you could hope to find an updated chapter. (:**

**Once again, please favorite and review this story. I'd love to hear your thoughts. Comments and criticism are both accepted, though I ask that you don't go completely nutso on me. And anonymous reviews are turned on, so I expect all reviews to avoid unnecessary roughness/arguments.**

**Thank you all for reading! Peace (:**


	2. Katherine Winters

**KC – You are so right! My mistake. I guess I just got into the groove of referring to everyone as a brother or sister. Thanks for the correction! (:**

**joelle – Oh, good. That was my biggest worry with Henry's perspective. I've never tried to write in the view of someone who is so angst-ridden before. Thanks for the review!**

**bookworm123456 – Thank you! That truly is great praise from someone else who enjoys writing. I think I've clicked on and read your stories, but I can't remember if I reviewed. I'll go back and check. (:**

**DyanneV – Thank you for reading and reviewing! (:**

**The Goddess Test Series belongs to Aimee Carter.**

_2: Katherine Winters_

I could feel her the moment she stepped foot onto the land of Eden Manor. The ground itself seemed to welcome her back. Diana had returned after eighteen years – a short time for me, but a long time for the earth that fed off of her care. I lay back on the canopied bed in my bedroom, staring up at the dip in the middle where the fabric fell a little bit. And with her was the girl. The one that was going to be tested to become my queen.

I couldn't decide whether or not to go to the window. I doubted that I would've even been able to see the gates of the manor, which is where they would be standing. I had to see this girl that Diana was offering. If she was anything like her sister…. I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to get my mind away from the girl who had left me a thousand years ago. The moment I decided to get up, I could tell that they were already pulling away. But I continued moving, going to the window that I had stood at just the day before, when Calliope was trying yet again to move my affections to her.

There was a knock on my door. Expecting it to be Calliope, I started to call out to leave me alone. "Henry, can I come in?" It was a woman's voice, but it didn't belong to Calliope. It was my other sister, Sofia. Technically, we weren't all related to each other. An outsider might look at our ramshackle family and see it as a bunch of inbred monsters. But in truth, not a single one of us shared blood, except for when they were, very literally, a child of another.

"Yes," I called out to her. I looked up when she entered, her face a mask. "What is it, Sofia?" I asked.

"Have you seen Calliope? I haven't crossed her path today. She asked to be told when Diana and the girl were coming." I shook my head, and she sighed. "Diana has returned to Eden Manor. She brought her daughter to the gates." She added quietly. "I just… It might seem out of line to you, Henry, but I wanted to make sure that you really listened. We are a family. And it'll be broken without you in it. Please try."

I shook my head a second time. I couldn't go a single day without having one of my brothers or sisters coming near to see if I really was going to give this a chance. I had promised Diana, hadn't I? I'd sworn to her that I would try. If anything, Diana needed this from me. And so I would do it.

But I'd already told her that I wouldn't love her, not this new girl that she brought forth. Not Persephone's sister. There was no one that could match her. But Diana had told me that I _would_ love her. There was no piece of me able to love anything else, but I wasn't going to crush her hopes. Diana would realize, when it all came to light, that it was not her fault. That she could have done everything different, and it would not change the outcome.

"I've promised Diana." I told her.

Sofia was silent for a moment, and then I heard her footsteps and the swing of the door as it opened. "Don't do this just to humor Diana. She means it. And if you do exactly what you did with the last girl, Hades," She warned, "This will be the end not only for you, but the hope of the council. I hope you keep that in mind." I didn't turn to face her. I bit my tongue to keep from lashing out at her. The door closed softly behind her.

I stood at the window for a little while longer, staring out into the gardens that Diana had tended for centuries. I could feel it bubbling inside me. The anger. I had always tried to keep it locked down. The others were prone to the same human emotions I was, especially when we lived in such a close proximity to humanity, but anger had always managed to really connect itself to me. With a muted roar, I turned and punched the wall beside the window.

The council had decided everything for me. And yet they all came to me and told me that it was my duty to make sure that their hopes weren't crushed.

Hope was a fickle thing. It was there one minute, elating a person, only to deflate and let them fall to their death. The council depended too much on _hope_ nowadays. It seemed that I was the only one that was able to give it up. Mine had dissipated years ago, when Persephone gave up her immortality for Adonis.

# # #

I spent a good portion of my free time in the ballroom when Walter and Phillip were out. It was a large room, big enough for the entire council and then some, but I liked it best when it was silent and I was alone.

The silence didn't last for long, though. I could hear the sound of Ava and James, rushing to get to the ballroom. I heard the sound of Ava's ridiculous shoes, and James's muted words as they rounded the corner.

"There you are," Ava said, flipping her hair over her shoulder. James came after her, pausing to look at me. I narrowed my eyes at the two of them.

"What are you wearing?"

"We're fitting in, obviously," Ava replied bluntly. She reached over and flicked the large headphones hanging around James's neck. "At least, _some_ of us are."

"She didn't seem to think they were out of place." James replied in a low voice. He glanced up at me. "Irene wanted me to tell you her name." He seemed uncomfortable talking to me about this. Of course he would. James had always been adamant that the girls that stayed at the manor be told that they had a choice. He had always wanted to make sure that they were given what Persephone wasn't. But this time, his objections seemed to be starting exceptionally early. "Her name is Katherine Winters. But she prefers Kate." He said.

I couldn't help but smile to myself. Diana had chosen the last name. _Winters_. I wondered what that meant to her, if it was supposed to be a message to me. "Katherine Winters," I repeated. I found myself liking the name. Someone with a name like Katherine was bound to be poised and put together, with the ability to rule over others and have them respect her.

"But she prefers Kate." Ava spoke up, brushing something off of her shirt. She looked up at me, and said, "She really is pretty… for a mortal." That was something coming from Ava. As Aphrodite, she always wanted to be named the prettiest girl. She wanted to be the most wanted out of the crowd. She wanted to stand out from everyone else for her looks. For her to deem a mortal as physically attractive was a big step for her.

"And she's not one of your dolls," James said. "She's smart. She's compassionate. And she _cares_." James said pointedly. "Keep in mind that she has options in this deal."

"We haven't even made a deal with her yet," Ava said, rolling her eyes. "The point is, I've invited her to a little party. What she doesn't know is that when she gets down to the river, there won't _be_ a party. It was the only way to get her to come around, I think. Kate doesn't seem like some of the others, Henry. She's a lot more logical than any of them ever were."

"Which is a _good_ thing," James said sardonically.

"Sure, why not?" Ava replied, waving her hand at his words. "What I'm trying to say is that she's going to need proof that you're not just a guy that lives in an expensive manor."

"And how do you plan to do that?" James asked.

"Easy. It's a trick. I tell her that I set her up to remind her to keep away from Dylan. I'll figure out some way to hurt myself, badly. Badly enough that even Theo couldn't save me." She said.

"And how do you plan on doing _that_?" James asked.

"It's simple. I don't feel pain. I'm a goddess. But I can present myself as Daddy does. Or I can be given a temporarily mortal body, which is why I came to you." She said, her eyes unwavering as she looked at me. "And Henry, when it happens, you'll have to show her that you aren't a guy that's lying to her. She needs to see it with her own eyes. She needs to see you bring me back from the dead."

There was a moment of quiet, and then James spouted, "That's _ridiculous_. All you will do is succeed is scaring her. She won't come if thinks Henry is some sort of sadistic murderer." He paused for a moment, and then added, "But then again, if you do that and she makes her choice…."

"Hush, James," Ava said, sending a glare his way. Her eyes returned to me. "What do you think about it?"

"I do not care how you bring her here." I replied back, averting my gaze. I wanted them to leave. I didn't want them to stand there and try to talk to me about a girl who would just die in the next three months. I didn't want to risk another girl's life, and I didn't want to give her a piece of me only to have it torn away from me again. "It just needs to be done by the autumn equinox."

Ava started to say something else to me, but I decided that I'd had enough. I flashed away from the ballroom, ending up in my own bedroom. James got the message – I wanted to be left alone. But Ava had never really grasped the idea of privacy. _You're so moody_. Her voice echoed over to me, rolling around in my head before disappearing.

I decided not to answer her. I waited until her voice was completely gone from my mind before turning to the window, leaning against the ledge. Out there, somewhere, was my sister Diana. With her was the twelfth girl. The last girl. The one that held all of the hope of the council. And my hope, if there was anything left in me.

# # #

"I don't have to swim, do I?" I froze at the sound of her voice. I'd ended up doing as Ava had asked me to earlier. I had showed up in the woods, down by the stream that ran across the back of Eden Manor. Ava and Katherine – or Kate, as she preferred – were closer than I had expected them to be. Kate sounded a little confused, a little indignant, and definitely worried. Immediately, I zoned in on them and their conversation.

"No, why?" Ava's voice was light and airy, as if she weren't concerned. Knowing her, she wasn't concerned in the least. As a human girl, she would seem rude and self-centered, which is how she could be when she was in her goddess form. But I knew that she wouldn't let anything happen to Kate.

"I can't swim. I never learned how." I wanted to step out and tell Ava that this was too much. If she felt that uncomfortable just coming onto the property, then she definitely wouldn't like what was ahead. Ava could be cruel sometimes. In her own words, some beauty is pure cruelty.

I started to step forward, but then I heard Ava chastising me. _Watch it, Henry._ She warned. _Everything is fine. Don't go getting your boxers in a twist_. I rolled my eyes and ignored Ava. She was the only goddess I knew that could so easily become one of the humans. The rest of us struggled with a mortal form. I figured that it had to do with what Ava stood for – love was such a human emotion.

I could hear Ava giving her soft, light laughter. It probably wasn't as calming as it should have been. I'd learned from Dylan that Ava was having a little trouble accepting Kate. Even he had thought she was beautiful, and that had gotten on Ava's nerves. She was used to being the most loved, the most beautiful in a room. And with James, Dylan, _and_ me depending on her, she wasn't feeling very goddess-like.

I stood in the trees with Cerberus, the dog of the Underworld. On the surface, he looked more like a Great Dane. I heard Ava's words hanging in the air. I was sure that Kate was starting to panic. Any human would, when they were faced with their fears. Kate didn't like water, and now Ava was leading her onto the property by way of the river.

I slowly moved towards the river. It didn't take me long to find them in my sights. Ava had taken off her clothes. She was wearing a very form-fitting bikini that honestly didn't hide very much. I heard Ava warning her to stay away from Dylan, and then she turned to the river. I realized what she was going to do just before she did it. Ava hadn't exactly told me a plan on how she planned to injure herself. All I'd known was that I was supposed to be down here, ready to prove that I was god of the Underworld.

Ava dove into the river. She knew as well as I did that the first few feet of the river's bank were extremely shallow. I could hear the crack as her skull hit the rock. I saw Kate wince as the sound echoed over the river. Ava's body floated to the surface of the water, limp. I knew it myself – if she wasn't a goddess, she would be dead. Her soul would be making its in place in Elysium. Instead, she was waiting.

Katherine Winters stood on the river's bank. I couldn't see what she looked like, just that she was fairly tall and thin and she had brown hair, completely different than her sister's blonde. I could see, almost imperceptibly, that she was shivering. I didn't know if it was from the cold or from what she had just witnessed. But she didn't move. She stood there for a second longer, her back to me as she faced Ava. And then she was moving, heading straight for the river that frightened her. On her way to the river, she kicked off her shoes as she ran along the waterline, trying to keep up with Ava. The current in the river was mediocre – not very strong, but if she wasn't careful, Kate could fall victim to it. She stood there for a moment before wading into the water.

In all my years of ruling over the Underworld, I'd rarely seen a showmanship like this one. I'd seen people dive in after others, people that they didn't even know, to save their lives. But those people were never scared of water. Not the way Kate was. And yet she was facing her fears because she thought that Ava could die if she didn't do anything.

At the moment, Kate didn't look very graceful. She floundered in the water, which I knew was cold with the beginning of fall. She tripped forward, splashing into the water and sending a wave over Ava's limp body. She stayed under for a few seconds before her head emerged. She let out a gasp of air, and I found myself struggling to stay put. Ava said that she would handle this. But what good would it do if Kate befell the same fate she thought had taken Ava?

But Kate wasn't going to give up. I could see that from where I stood. She struggled through the water, hands grabbing at Ava's arm. She managed to maneuver the two of them out of the river and to the bank. Kate pulled her up onto the dry land, away from the muddy bank, and then knelt next to her.

The scariest part for me was the feeling that coursed through me when she said Ava's name. Kate was scared. She may not have admitted it out loud, but I could see it. She was frightened for her life. And that did something to me. Kate gently called out Ava's name, and I fought with myself to keep from coming out too soon. I didn't need to frighten her even more. I didn't get the chance. Already, Kate was moving, leaning over Ava's body. I figured that she was checking for Ava's breathing. She wouldn't have any breath left in that body of hers.

I watched as Diana's daughter turned Ava over, knotting her fingers together as she pressed down on Ava's chest. She paused for a second, and then shook her head. She moved to give Ava's body another round of CPR, but then she froze. She had to see the wound on Ava's skull. It was definitely broken, skin torn away and blood seeping through that blonde hair of hers.

Kate screamed. I hadn't been expecting it. My skin seemed to prickle at the sound and I nearly threw myself out of the woods and to her side. I swallowed hard at the thought. Since when has Hades, ruler of the Underworld, thrown himself around for any human?

Even in her fear, Kate didn't get up and run. Instead she leaned closer to Ava's body, her fingers searching the side of her neck. I knew she didn't find anything, but she went back to work, pumping her hands over Ava's chest. "Help!" She called out, so loudly that Cerberus whined. "Somebody _help_!"

That was my cue. It was time to go introduce myself to Katherine Winters. She would have no idea what our meeting really meant unless she was extremely smart and up to date on her Grecian myths. Cerberus moved behind me as I walked through the woods, eyes trained on her. Kate kept trying. She knew that Ava was dead, gone, but she kept trying anyway. Once again, I was hit with the wildness of it all. Most humans give up when they realize that it's futile. She called out again. I quickened my pace.

By time I reached Kate and Ava, Kate had stopped trying to bring Ava back. Instead, she had moved farther away from the body and was sitting on the ground, on the verge of dry land and the muddy riverbank. Her eyes were trained on Ava, so focused that I wasn't sure she heard me step through the trees and into the clearing. She pulled her knees up to her chest, holding herself. She was scared to death. Maybe this wasn't the best way to bring Kate onto the property. But it was too late to go back now.

"May I help you?" I stood as silently as I could, looking down at her. Katherine Winters wasn't just pretty. She was absolutely breathtaking. Her hair was dark, not as dark as mine, but close. Her skin was pale and her eyes, which were somewhat hard to see in the night, where glowing either blue or green, I wasn't for certain. Her lips were full and red from her biting on them. Tears shone in her eyes as she looked up at me. There were obvious differences between Kate and her sister, Persephone. But Persephone was born as a goddess. For a human, Kate was beautiful. And that didn't just extend to her appearances. Inside was something much prettier than I'd ever seen before.

Now, I could understand why the council had hope in this one. Why James was already protective of her. Why Ava had a bit of jealousy.

She tried to explain to me what had happened. It wasn't necessary. I had seen it all. But I didn't tell her that. It would just make her panic more. She was already on edge about all of this. I knelt next to Ava's body. My eyes focused on the wound Ava had crafted. They certainly were gory, not something for Kate's eyes. But then again, if she _were_ to become my queen, she'd see much worse. I glanced up at her and couldn't help but feel a little bit of pleasure at the way her eyes were taking me in.

Before either of us could say anything, she looked beyond me. Cerberus had gotten tired of staying behind and had come to join me at my side. He sat down next to me and on reflex, I reached up and scratched him behind the ears. Hopefully, it all seemed very human to Kate. I did not want to scare her more than she already was.

I couldn't help it, I asked her name. I already knew it, but I wanted to hear it from her. She gave me Kate, and I introduced myself and Cerberus. Kate's eyes scanned my face as I spoke. I knew that, to humans, gods and goddesses looked downright gorgeous. Ava had always reveled in the fact. Kate's eyes locked on mine, and she once again tried to explain to me about Ava.

"She's dead." I said, finishing her sentence for her. The words were rough coming from me, and I immediately chastised myself for it as Kate's gaze tore away from mine. She quietly retched, a hand on her stomach as she coughed. I worked to keep my face flat and serious. I would not let her get so close to me, not so soon. I couldn't identify what was shooting through me whenever my eyes met hers, but it was there. I would not give into it. I would not put my hope into a human girl. While she did her business, I fixed the angle of Ava's neck and gently closed her eyes with my thumb and forefinger.

I realized, as she had her back turned to me, that Kate had referred to Ava as her friend. Ava's actions were anything but friendly. Kate was the only one that had showed any sort of compassion in the situation. It struck me as odd. Most humans had no problems pointing out who was cruel. But Kate named the girl that had treated her awfully as her friend. Once again, I was struck by the strangeness of it all. Kate was unlike any human that I had ever met before. Had Diana managed to carve her into a girl that the council would love?

And so I dug for answers. I asked her why she named Ava her friend. She didn't have an honest answer for me, naming it as a joke. She knew it wasn't a joke, just like I did. I asked her why she went in the river after her if she was scared of water. There was no way to mask how I knew it, so I didn't mention it at all. Kate had said that Ava didn't deserve it. Humans were so focused on fairness and what they deserved. But very rarely did I see a human who had gone out on a limb because they didn't think someone else deserved a punishment.

"What would do you do to have her back?" I asked. Kate looked at me, her eyes confused, and I added, "Back in the condition she was in before she jumped in the water. Alive." There. Why had that been so hard to convey to her?

She sat there a moment, her eyes confused. And within seconds they turned from worried to determined. Kate looked like she had a fight to pick. "Anything."

I knew the moment she said it that I figured that would be her answer. Kate seemed like one that would say something like that without really thinking about the consequences. She was… self-less. That was the word.

I offered her a deal – for her to read the myth of Persephone, and in return I would return Ava's soul to her body. I wasn't surprised that she had already read the myth. Diana's methods were downright obvious sometimes. Kate just looked at me, her eyebrows drawn together at the request. Surely, she figured it was strange.

In the pale moonlight, she looked so beautiful, so open and warm and full of something so inherently _good_ that I could help but step forward and brush my fingers across her cheek. Just like I imagined, her skin was smooth and warm with life. She pulled away from me so quickly that I thought she might stumble into the water. Kate didn't like it; I quickly put my hands in my pockets. What had possessed me to just reach out and touch her? None of the other girls had managed to pull that emotion out of me. Within ten minutes, Kate had given me a whole new set of emotions that I had never really felt before.

I stepped backwards, and Kate's eyes grew. Did she think I was going to leave without upholding my end of the deal? She turned her gaze to look at Ava, and I took that second to disappear. My job was done. Ava was back. Kate had no choice to believe me.

# # #

"It worked!" Ava cooed as she appeared in front of me. I sat in my chair, staring into the orb on the floor. It was a quick shortcut to the Underworld, to my castle there. Sometimes, when I was on the surface, I yearned for the world of stone and crystal below. It was a lot less complicated there. I did my job, I looked at Persephone's crystal garden, and I waited until my century of searching was up.

"Yes," I mused, hands tied together as I looked down at it. Ava stepped over it and stood in front of me, her hands on her hips.

"Henry, be a little happier. I'm pretty sure you've just convinced Kate that you really are Hades."

"Yes, that was the hard part, wasn't it?"

"Your sarcasm isn't appreciated," She said, giving me a short glare. She shrugged and went to curl up in her own chair, drawing her knees into her chest. When she did that, it reminded me of Kate, sitting in the same position. But Kate had been scared for her life, and Ava was pleased at what she'd done. "We didn't talk about it on the way back, but I'm sure you got through to her. I mean, it's not every day that you see someone die and come back to life." She joked. "I'm going to be spending all weekend trying to get her to answer the phone. I didn't think she would do it, but she surprised even me. I want to see what she's made of."

I didn't answer. Ava sighed and moved in her chair, leaning closer to me. "Henry, if you don't stop being such a downer, I'm going to go hang out with James. And you know how much of a downer he can be."

I glanced up at her. I didn't know what it was, but Ava and I had always had a strange sort of relationship. For one, she had never tried to get me to be with her. It wasn't exactly a novelty to have been with the goddess of love. _I_ was the minority. And, in a twist that I appreciated, Ava had never tried to change that. Besides that, she had always been honest with me. Next to Diana, she was one of my favorite relations. And interestingly enough, Ava had seemed to like to spend time with me. She couldn't stand Persephone, but she hung around because of me.

Ava stood up from her chair and came to sit in the one next to me. She didn't seem bothered by the fact that she was taking the seat of someone else. Sometimes the council could be overwhelmingly protective of their chairs. She tucked her feet underneath her and put her elbows on the arm, leaning towards me. "I wish you would stop being like that." She said quietly. "You can stop with the broken heart thing, Henry. It's been thousands of years. She's moved on. It's time for you to move on, now." Her voice was just a whisper, but it was like a scream in my head. It was what everyone had been telling me on repeat for well over a thousand years. She reached out and put a hand on my arm.

I gently pulled away from her. Ava had a twisted sense of privacy. Sometimes she didn't care whether everyone in the world knew, but when it came to the emotions of others, especially love, she tended to stay out of it. The one person that could actually do something about it and she refused to step in.

Ava sat back in the chair, brushing a blonde lock of hair over her ear. "You may not want to hear this, but hear me out." I waited silently for her to speak, my eyes turned away from her, focusing on the opposite wall. "It's time for change, Henry." She whispered the word, and then she stood up and left.

**What did you guys think? I hope it's turning out to be something that you guys find enjoyable. Thank all of you for reviewing, and I hope the numbers shoot up (one can dream, right?) :P**

**Please leave me a review! I'd love to know your thoughts! Peace (:**


	3. The Autumn Equinox

**KC – Thank you! I've sort of gotten on a roll with this fanfic, so hopefully updates will be quick and frequent. (:**

**All The Best People Are Mad – Thanks! I've thought about writing some grouped one-shots from James's point of view. I figured it would be interesting to see little bits and pieces of the stories from him. Maybe I'll write that one day. (;**

**Kct719 – Thank you (:**

**DyanneV – I'm glad you found it acceptable. Henry seems like such a thoughtful guy; I was hoping that I would manage to capture that.**

**cameron – Thanks!**

**Huntress3419 – Thank you (: I'll try to keep my updates regular!**

**The Goddess Test Series belongs to Aimee Carter.**

_3: The Autumn Equinox_

My concentration was broken by the sound of voices in the hall. Of course, they were coming towards me, and I had the feeling that they wouldn't be continuing down the hall and around the corner. I closed the book I was reading and waited. The library door burst open and Ava stalked in with James following her. I sighed and leaned back in my seat, setting the book to the side.

The moment he was in the room, James turned to look at me. "I can't _believe_ you let Ava go through with that!" He yelled. "By the gods, Henry! She's _terrified_."

"She's fine!" Ava exclaimed. "She's stronger than any of the others." She mused, her eyes looking to me. I would imagine that Ava was trying to tell me something. She was relying on her eyes to do the talking instead of whispering to me in my mind.

"Just stay away from her, Ava. It's my job to get her to the manor, not yours." James replied sharply, breaking Ava's eyes from mine.

"I like her." Ava said. "And so I'm going to be her friend. You never know. She might need another push along the way."

"You didn't give her a little push last week, Ava. You _shoved_ her."

"Did not!"

I sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of my nose. The two of them were like children sometimes. And in their argument, they'd come to me to fix their problems. I figured that it would have been a job for Walter. He always said he was the leader, anyway.

Ava turned to look at me. "He called you Satan." She said indignantly.

I blinked. It didn't surprise me that James had said that to Kate, regarding me. He was always saying that the girl should have a choice. I agreed with him wholeheartedly. But he always said that they should leave me, that I couldn't be good to them. I wasn't sure if he just wanted my position or if he really did think that I would just ruin their lives – both mortal and immortal. So far, it was looking like he was right. Someone had killed all those girls, and it was my fault.

"_She's_ going to blow our cover." James replied, not even bothering to deny Ava's accusation. "Says she doesn't know anything about the myths and then starts spouting off what really happened!"

"I was not _spouting_." Ava said coldly, turning her glare on James. "I was just saying that maybe the myth wasn't all that true. And you _know_ it's not. Don't go filling her head with lies just for your case."

"Kate has a _choice_." James replied, enunciating every sound in the word. He would not back off his platform for her to have a choice. He didn't seem to realize that everyone else agreed. But he wanted the girls to leave, and everyone else wanted them to stay. James was fighting a battle on his own. But I had to give him credit for not backing down, even when others – especially Ava – told him to shut up.

"I didn't say she didn't." Ava turned away from James and said, "The point is, Henry, that we managed to get Kate to read the myth of… _that selfish girl_ and James here made her think that you were going to kidnap her." She waved a hand in his general direction. I bit my tongue to keep from filling in Persephone's name. Ava refused to call her by her name, instead referring to her as "the selfish one," "the bratty one," and so forth. She couldn't stand my first wife. I imagined it was because Adonis had chosen Diana's first daughter of the goddess of love. Rejection had never sat well with Ava.

James snorted behind her. Ava smiled brightly at me despite the frustration that had been on her face only moments before. I nodded to the two of them. James left, muttering something about not needing to be dismissed. Ava rolled her eyes, but her smile dropped a little when I didn't speak to her. With a huff, she turned and skipped out of the room.

# # #

Midnight was the dawn of the autumn equinox. I had given Kate two weeks to make her decision on whether or not she would attempt to fill the role Persephone left behind. For me, the two weeks had flown by.

I tried my best to seem disinterested. I tried to seem like Katherine Winters had no hold over me. In all honesty, she did. There wasn't a moment that I didn't think about her teary eyes looking up into mine, or the way that her brown hair, when dry, had moved around her shoulders and face. When someone mentioned her, the image of her staring at me, her hair wet and plastered to her skin, never failed to take the forefront of my mind. I did my best to hide all of it from the others. They didn't need to go thinking that Kate could make a difference. She wouldn't even get the chance if I couldn't keep her protected.

Throughout the two weeks, Ava and James remained constant bothers, spending their first few hours at the manor from school arguing over what was and what wasn't said to Kate. It seemed that Ava was on my side, painting Hades as a lonely, poor individual with a penchant for young girls and a need for love. James was on the other end of the spectrum, casting a light on me that made me seem like the Grecian form of the devil. I couldn't be sure what Kate thought about me, or if she even believed me. By Ava's claims, it seemed that Kate was having a hard time adjusting to the fact that she had seen a dead girl come back to life.

Beyond that, Ava reported that Diana's mortal form was falling deeper into the trap of cancer. I imagined that it was a hard choice for Diana to make – how she was going to die. At least she hadn't chosen to die suddenly, leaving Kate behind and confused. At least this way, Kate had been given some time to say goodbye to her mother. Ava was worried about Kate in the sense of whether or not she would be up to the challenge of six months at the manor while her mother waited, dying, in the outside world. James was only preoccupied with whether or not Diana's death, coupled with the deal she'd made with me, would push Kate over the edge.

The last day before the autumn equinox, Ava ran in to tell me that Kate had left school early. Diana had fallen into a coma. Kate was worried, stressed, and ultimately unready for the loss of her mother. Instead of reminding myself to be indifferent, instead of saying that life wasn't life without death, I found myself aching for the girl that I'd seen once.

Right when Ava finished telling me the turn of events, James stomped in, proclaiming that what we were doing to her was cruel. How could we live with ourselves, he questioned, when Kate's life was a lie? We were putting her through pain that she hadn't needed to feel – the loss of her mother, and the stress of facing the gods for a challenge at immortality. Her life hung in the balance. James stayed put on his stand, determined that I give it up, that I let Kate out the deal. But what he didn't remember was that Kate was made for this. The reason she was born was to take a chance at the challenges the gods presented her. That was her born duty. I couldn't find it in me to tell him that, though. Any other day, any other girl, and I wouldn't have hesitated to put James in his place. But this time I just let him rant and accuse me until Ava sent for Theo and Xander. The two of them stepped in to remove the riled up James from the ballroom.

He wouldn't give up on her. The protectiveness he'd felt for Kate was fierce. James had always been on the girls' side, reminding them whenever possible that they weren't subject to this life. That they didn't _have_ to try for immortality. That they could leave whenever they wanted and pretend like none of this had happened. But he had never attached himself so wholeheartedly to one of them before. Of course, it just happened to be the one that had managed to give me something new within the first few minutes of meeting her.

Once again, the battle was on. James was on one side, and I was on the other. I'd had to shake the thought out of my head. Kate wasn't a prize to be won. She was a human girl, a beautiful human girl with a heart that seemed to be made of gold. She didn't deserve to be drug through the tumultuous experience of the tests.

But I had promised Diana. I would always keep my promises to Diana.

And so I stood in front of a small house. On any other day, it would seem warm and inviting. But today, despite the blooming flowers in the front bed, it seemed cold and sad. Heartbroken. I knew instantly that this was Kate's house, and it was feeling her pain, the loss of the woman who had given it such life in just a few short weeks.

I glanced over at Walter. When Kate hadn't shown up at the manor's doorstep this afternoon, it had been decided that I would go to her and remind her of the deal she made with me. My brother had refused to let me go alone, already prepared to play his part. He said that he had a vested interest in the girl and that I should let him accompany me. I didn't have any reason to tell him no. The two of us had taken one of the cars from the manor's garage and had driven over to Kate's house.

I knew all of Eden was fabricated, but it was well done. James and Ava hadn't perceived that Kate believed anything was wrong with the sleepy town she saw before her. If I hadn't known any better, than I would believe that it was real, too.

Walter had driven us here. He had parked the car and turned off the engine. The two of us sat there for a moment, watching the second hand on the clock tick slowly. The equinox didn't start until exactly midnight, and I wasn't about to barge into Kate's house without having the means to do so. The equinox was the deal that we had made, and it was the deal that I was going to keep.

Walter decided to use the time to remind me why I was doing all of this. "Remember, brother, that this is the last chance you have." He said quietly, not even looking at me, but rather at the flowers Diana had carefully put in the front of the house. I should have known that she would not let a house – even a fabricated one – go without some sort of natural color.

"I'm well aware, Walter." I said calmly. My eyes stayed glued to the clock in front of me. As an immortal god, I was hardly aware of time. It passed quickly for me. What would seem like a lifetime to a human was only a spec of history to me. But for the first time in my very extensive life, the seconds ticked by so slowly I was starting to get the feeling that midnight would never arrive.

The moment all three hands were on the twelve, Walter opened his car door. I did the same, stepping out onto the paved sidewalk. The house was dark, Kate was probably asleep. She would be looking forward to a day at the hospital tomorrow, at her mother's side. But we were here to change that. I couldn't imagine the loss that Kate felt when it came to her mother. Neither of my parents had been very loving. We gods had to make do on our own. But Diana was sure to mother Kate like a doe would to a small baby deer.

We reached the front steps. Walter glanced at me and I looked at him. I knew it needed to be done, but I couldn't help but feel like dropping in at midnight wasn't the best way to approach the situation. Before I could change my mind, Walter reached for the doorbell, deftly pressing it. His eyes met mine for a second, a smirk crossing his face before rearranging into a careful coolness. We waited silently. Nothing was moving inside the house. Walter hit the doorbell again.

Just as he was going to hit it a third time, a light snapped on in the hall. The door unlocked, swinging open to reveal a very rumpled, very tired Kate. She held a pillow to her chest, her eyes sleepy. When they met mine, something flashed in them, waking her up a little more. I had the feeling that she had been waiting for someone else. Who else would come calling in the middle of the night? Ava? James? Was he already making a move on Kate?

I didn't even think about what I was going to say to her. Words just escaped from me, and I was thankful that they weren't brutally honest. "Hello, Kate. Do you remember me?"

The sleepy fog that had seemed to be hanging over her vanished. Her eyes narrowed in on me, and she cleared her throat before answering. "Yeah. You're Henry." Her voice wasn't as smooth as it had been at the river, and that had been when it was shaky with fear. Even so, I couldn't deny the feeling that washed over me when she said my name. I had never had such a reaction before. I found myself struggling to keep from grinning at her too broadly. A small smile would suffice.

I introduced Walter as my valet. I had been expecting some sort of look from him to remind me that he was not, in actuality, my valet. But he kept up a good front, giving Kate a smile. He said a hello to her and asked if we could come in. Kate looked between the two of us before sighing and consenting, stepping back and opening the door a little wider. We both stepped into the front of the house. She closed the door behind us and, still clutching the pillow to her chest, stepped past me to lead the way. Her bare arm brushed the sleeve of my jacket. I swallowed.

Kate seemed just as nervous as I felt deep down inside. I had never procured a deal in this manner before. She moved slowly, reaching for the light switch as if she believed that we were there for more than a visit. She would be correct in her assumptions. Kate sat in the only armchair in the living room, leaving the couch open for me and Walter. I sat down fluidly, doing my best not to make it any more awkward than it already was. I would not show her what she had been able to do to me. Kate's eyes searched my face as Walter took his seat beside me.

I asked Kate if she knew what day it was. And to my amazement, she knew. Most mortals had no clue of such important days. I asked her if she read about Persephone, knowing full well that she had. According to Ava, it was all that the three of them talked about. But I couldn't give Kate the idea that I knew about what she had gone through the past few weeks. I would have to stay a stranger for the time being. Ava was playing a part, and to Kate know that I knew little things about her would be blowing the covers of everyone.

Kate paled in response. She gave a slow nod, her arms gripping the pillow a little tighter. I hated to make her so nervous. It was not what I had planned. I wanted to comfort her, not to make her think that she was in trouble. I asked if she was ready to uphold the deal. If she decided right then to back out, then it was nearly over for me. The end of today would mark the end of the equinox, and the start of her six months. It wouldn't be a full six months if she didn't show up at the manor.

Kate looked confused. I had hoped that Ava and James would be able to clear up the whole thing without revealing what they knew, but apparently it had been too hard for them. I started to formulate the answer in my mind, but before I could answer, Walter did. He didn't sugar coat it for her. His words were blunt and to the point. I found myself watching Kate to make sure that he didn't upset her. Kate stood up in alarm. I held up a hand to stop Walter. He wasn't doing this delicately like I had planned. He had just taken the reigns and done it himself, like he did with so many other things. I stood up and faced Kate. I tried to undo some of the finality that Walter had put into it. He was right, of course, but we didn't need to make her panic so soon. She could easily step out of the deal and none of it would apply to her. I would keep her on a need to know basis.

"Queen. You mean you want me to be your _wife_?" Was it so wrong of me to feel a pang when she asked that with such horror? I couldn't wipe the frown off my face. That was exactly what this was, if she managed to survive the first six months. But there was a high probability that she wouldn't make it, and if that was so, then I wasn't going to worry her so soon. I explained to her that I wasn't asking for her hand in marriage, ignoring the glare that Walter sent my way for just a second.

"No," Kate said suddenly. "Thank you for your offer, but you're crazy, and no. Now if you don't mind, I have to sleep." I could have sworn that I felt my heart skip a beat the moment the words came out of her mouth. She was rejecting me. Walter stood up silently, and together we walked to the front door. I stopped before stepping out of the door all the way, instead choosing to stand on the threshold. Kate stopped just behind me. She was so close that I could see every lash that surrounded her beautiful eyes. I found myself wanting to touch her, just like I had at the river. But this time I held back, settling for just looking her over.

"Do you understand what will happen if you do not uphold your end of the deal?" I asked. I was giving her another chance. It was a last ditch effort. Kate would never back out of it if she knew that Ava's life was the cost. It had been our deal – her life for Kate's time.

"I don't know, and I don't care. Now please leave." Kate said, her voice strong. Even as she said it, though, I knew she didn't mean it.

Walter was already ahead of me, heading towards the car that we had left at the street. "I will give you until midnight," I told her. Why couldn't I just accept the fact that she had said no? James had always said that Kate should have a choice. This was her choice. Even so, I could not stop the words that continued to flow from my mouth. "But I am afraid I cannot wait any longer. Don't be so quick to dismiss my offer, Kate. This is the only time I will make it." I paused, standing on the front path of the house. I was hoping that she would reconsider, take another breath and try to figure it out.

Instead, she slammed the door in my face. I stood there for a moment longer, staring at the closed door. I only saw Kate in short bursts, lengths that only lasted minutes. Yet when I did see her, she did something to me. I didn't feel so alone anymore. So hopeless. And yet she had just taken that away from me the moment that door had closed behind her.

Walter came up behind me, clapping a hand on my back. "It seems that she's harder to crack than we thought."

# # #

"I sort of feel bad, Henry." Ava said, perching on the arm of the chair in the library. I sighed and slipped the bookmark in between the pages, setting it off to the side. She never bothered to leave me alone when I was in the library. For being a universally quiet place, Ava sure didn't seem to grasp the concept. "I mean, I just feel bad. And you know that's sort of a big deal for me." She said. "I mean, I make people fall in love for giggles. But Kate is a really good person."

"Yes, yes," I said, annoyed at the fact that Ava would not let it go. She refused to give up on it. She'd even spent part of her afternoon calling Kate's home repeatedly to ask whether she was okay and if Diana was okay. I knew that she was just fishing for answers while trying to stay in her role, but the snotty cheerleader that Ava had chosen to play wouldn't have done those things. It seemed that Kate didn't just have a hold over me and James. She had managed to charm to the goddess of love, too. "She is a saint."

Ava wrinkled her nose at me. "Don't be so sarcastic. It's not a good look." Ava flipped her hair over her shoulder, glancing over at me. "James is with her now. He didn't know that you and Walter went to visit her last night. I have no idea what he was doing, but apparently he wasn't watching her with all the gusto that he said he would."

I didn't reply. I had no need to reply. Ava would probably continue on anyway, if she saw fit. I ran my hand over the binding of the book. I liked all sorts of reading. It didn't pay to be picky when I had an entire eternity. I had already read the classics, which had been new when I picked them up, as well as educational readings spanning from science to art to philosophy, as well as a few contemporary novels. I had to admit that I preferred the classics, particularly the dramatic, suspenseful, slightly dark novels, over the silly love stories of today.

"Anyway, I think we all know the next step in the plan." She said, picking up a nearby book. She held it to her eye level, glancing over the hard backed cover. She took a deep breath and blew a fine coating of dust off of it. My library was forever growing, and some of the oldest books I had not moved since I'd read them hundreds of years ago. I could see the dust motes in the air as Ava made a face and dropped the book onto the table.

"And what would that be?"

She rolled her eyes. "Like you don't know. You take my mortal life, of course." She said, eyes trailing over the shelves of books. "A deal is a deal, Henry. You offered her my life back for six months. She broke the deal, so you're no longer required to do what shouldn't have been done, anyway." She gave me a quick wink before looking away. "Besides, maybe this will open her eyes."

"What do you mean?" I questioned. I could feel my eyebrows drawing together at their own accord.

"Kate knows you brought me back to life. But she doesn't realize that it means you can take a life, too. And think about it, what would Kate _anything_ for? And I mean _anything_?" She asked, leveling her gaze with mine.

I took a deep breath. I knew exactly what she meant. According to Ava, while they weren't discussing my exact words to her and the probabilities of what the deal meant, they were talking about Diana. At least, James and Ava had been. Kate had been meticulously closed off when it came to her mother. She was to the point, always saying what needed to be said and nothing more. She got extremely emotional when it came to talk about her sick mother, as well. "Diana," I breathed.

"Bingo, we have a winner." Ava looked out of the library window. She wouldn't be able to see much but the tangled branches of trees surrounding the manor, but she still stared out anyway. "I'm not saying that we should play up her weaknesses. That would be cruel, and James would have a fit. But what I am saying is that you can offer her another deal. She cares about me, she does. But when she thinks I'm dead, it will make her realize what you have to offer." She got up and reached for a book off one of the shelves.

"Wouldn't that be breaking the rules?" I asked sardonically.

Ava rolled her eyes. "Rules are made to be broken. Besides, you're Hades, God of the Underworld. I doubt rules really apply to you all that much." She said. "And think about it this way. You know those feelings that you get when you look at her?" I tried to mask my shock, but I knew that I wasn't doing so well. I had just figured that Ava would stay out of it like she always did. She smiled at me. "Those are some signs, Henry. They're not just some stupid little butterflies."

I had no words to answer her. Did she really mean that, or was she lying for my protection? Any other time, I would immediately assume the latter. I loved Persephone with all of my heart and soul. There was no other that could take her place. That had always been clear to the girls before Kate, as it would be to her if she decided to show up at the manor before midnight. My love for her could not be simply broken or wiped away by another. It was a high probability that Ava was giving me the push she thought I needed. She wouldn't hesitate to lie if she thought it would work out for the better in the end.

Sometimes, Ava was too optimistic.

She brushed the front of her shirt off and flipped her hair over her shoulder. She glanced at the clock that hung on the wall, ticking at a constant rate. "Well, it's almost midnight. I say we get this show on the road. Please, kill me." She said with a grin.

**Okay, so this is sort of a short chapter. Sorry about that. I just wanted to save the next part for the next chapter.**

**As always, I want to remind all of you that I am not Aimee Carter. I do not own the characters or the plot. Some of this is my own creativeness, but it is built off of her work. Some of the dialogue is exactly as it is written in the book (particularly scenes that involve both Kate and Henry.) I tried to skip around some of it while keeping up with what was going on.**

**Anyway, please leave me a review. Also, I was wondering if you guys get the significance of the picture? It's sort of cheesy, but I like cheesy sometimes. :D**

**Thanks for reading. Peace. (:**


	4. New Deal

**KC – I certainly hope that people will continue to pick up this book. I tell anyone that is interested in paranormal romances about it, and always talk about it to people that enjoy a quick Grecian story. And thank you! I intend to keep writing this unless it just completely falls off my radar. I have an awful habit of losing gusto for something and then picking it up again months later. Hopefully that won't happen with this one.**

**Huntress3419 – Thank you! After reading the second book, when Henry says that Kate had his heart from the very beginning, I decided to really hit on that. It was only a sentence, but it made me smile. Yay for cute little love stories! :3**

**FrillyWilly – I'm glad that he's turning out to be an actual Henry. I was worried that I was straying too far from the Henry we know and love. Thanks for the review! (:**

**The Goddess Test Series belongs to Aimee Carter.**

_4: New Deal_

James was absolutely livid. He knew the deal I had offered. He knew it word for word, yet he still continued to berate me for taking Ava's "life." I bit back a sharp answer more than once, knowing that just getting angry and yelling at him was futile. If anything, it would just fuel his fire, and he'd be even angrier.

"You two need to stop playing political games with her! She is _not_ a pawn to be pushed around. I figured that you would've known better than this, Henry." He shot at me, his eyes narrowing in on mine. He was still dressed like a student at Eden's high school, as was Ava. Ava had said that wearing pants was refreshing, but she was really starting to miss the dresses that she usually wore around the manor.

"Enough, James," Ava said sharply, coming to my defense. My plan was to just let James tire out. I had shared it with Ava, but she adamant that I put him in his place. In her own words, I was the ruler of the Underworld, and all James did was deliver messages. I knew she didn't really mean that – she loved James in her own way, as he did to her. But it was twisted and not at all what a human would think of when it came to the word: _love_. "Henry doesn't need to hear you parade about. Besides that, why would you accuse him of political games, when we all know that Kate's rejection and failure to uphold her end of the deal works in _your_ favor?"

I flinched at the word of Kate's rejection. She had rejected me. She had looked me directly in the eyes and asked me, _told_ me, to leave. It should have been over, and yet I couldn't let go. All of this time, all I'd asked for was to be left alone so I could fade. Now, when the time had finally come down to the last seconds, I was holding on tighter than ever. I couldn't begin to understand why I had the sudden change of heart, why, all of a sudden, I just wouldn't turn my back on her.

James flinched at Ava's words. I honestly wasn't very sure of where he stood. It could very easily be that James did want me to fail. It was easily possible that he wanted the position I held. But I wasn't so sure that he would use Kate to get his way, or that he would look at me like that, like just the thought of me being gone would upset the balance. I figured that only James really knew whether or not he was begging me to fail, or if he was hoping, just as much as the rest of the council did, that Kate would survive.

My nephew shook his head, sending a glare to the two of us before turning on his heel and departing. It only took a few seconds, and then I heard the front doors to the manor slam closed. They shook, the sound reverberating throughout the manor and coating the ballroom walls. Ava sat back in her chair and bit her lip.

"I do feel bad about it, Henry," Ava said quietly. "I knew it needed to be done, but that doesn't mean I don't feel bad. And…." Her voice trailed off, her face pensive as she stared at the wall away from me.

"And what?" I questioned, impatient to hear the rest of what she had to say.

She looked at me, forcing a smile upon her face, and said, "Kate really does care. I don't think I've seen anyone care so much without a push from me." She laughed sadly, wiping underneath her bottom lashes with a finger. "She told me to stay safe. She told me not to pet any lions." She gave another quiet, half-hearted laugh and stood up. She brushed her hair out with her fingers, keeping her face away from mine. "Well, I better go and make sure that I look nice and dead. I don't think it'll take her all that long to get here."

# # #

I knew it the minute she stepped on the manor's grounds. Ava had done the majority of the welcoming work, with the help of Sofia. Sofia was fond of smaller gestures of warmth and welcoming, but Ava was determined to make it obvious – the last time I'd seen her, she'd said she was going down to the heavy gates at the front of the property. She planned to leave them open so Kate could get in without having to take the back way, by the river.

"She's arrived," Ella's voice was sort of monotonous as she stepped into the ballroom without a greeting. I knew she was still a little sore over the fact that she and Theo had been separated for the time being. The two of them were twins, but they acted like they were much closer than that. Their bond was so tight that I doubted that even Calliope would be able to break it. "Sofia is leading her to one of the sitting rooms right now. I suggest you go there and meet her, Henry. She doesn't look as pleased to be here as some of the others."

I just barely managed to keep myself from flying to the door. I just barely managed to keep myself from popping into existence right in front of her. What kind of magic had Kate worked on me? I was Hades, I was supposed to fall to no one. Yet one human girl with beautiful hair and even more beautiful eyes held me like I was her pet. Instead of standing up and heading straight to the sitting room where Sofia had led Kate, I just blinked at Ella.

"Now, Henry." She said tiredly, motioning for me to stand up and move. "There's no point in you just sitting around. We all may be immortal, but that human girl in there is getting older by the second." I managed to keep my face blank as I stood up from my chair, running a hand nervously through my hair. I couldn't remember the last time I had been nervous. I hadn't even been nervous when I'd brought the first girl to the gods for a challenge – Ingrid had been in tune with nature, just like Persephone, and she was blindly loving, unlike my first wife. The other girls could not hold a candle to the nerves that jumbled inside me as I headed towards Kate.

Theo was already standing outside of Kate's room, hidden in shadow. Sofia met me in the hall, thrusting a tray of food into my hands. She gave me a serious look, her words whispering through my mind. _She's a bundle of nerves, Henry. Offer her something to eat._ I nodded without replying, my fingers gripping the edges of the tray as I stepped into the doorway of the room.

There she was, Katherine Winters, with her dark hair spilling over her shoulders. Her hands twisted on themselves, set her lap, as she stared around the room. Her skin was slightly pale, like it had been the night when Ava had hurt herself at the river. She was nervous. Just like me.

Her eyes met mine briefly. From across the room, I could see her eyes dart away, I could hear her swallow. The word came out of me like a sigh, but I managed to twist it into an easygoing tone last minute. "Kate." Her eyes darted to me again, and I stepped inside the room, putting the tray down in front of her. Humans were prone to going into shock. Food would help with that.

Kate stuttered on my name. My skin rose with goose bumps as she did, and I was thankful of the jacket I wore, hiding me from her eyes. I waited for her to say something to me. She said she needed to talk, and so I just tilted my head, marveling at the fact that when the sun hit her eyes just right, they lit up, and when her hair caught the sunlight through the windows, it seemed to come to life – glowing, not like the hideous snakes on Medusa's head. I wondered if she was shaking, or if it was just my imagination. Sofia was usually right when it came to taking care of others. I sat forward a little bit, drawing the tea cups and the pot closer to me. I poured the dark brew into one of the china cups Sofia had given me, pushing it gently towards her while I poured myself one, so she wouldn't feel awkward.

"I'm sorry," She said, her voice rasping in her throat. "For not listening to you yesterday, I mean. I wasn't thinking, and I didn't think you were serious. My mom's really sick and I just – please. I'm here. I'll stay. I'll do whatever you want. Just bring Ava back." Her words were jumbled, not at all smooth or rehearsed. I had a feeling that she tried to fit in whatever she had been planning to say to me into it, but it still didn't make sense. She asked for Ava, but after she had asked for her mother. The goddess of love had been correct – Kate was smart, and she had a weakness: her mortal dying mother.

It couldn't be a good thing that she was stumbling over her words like that. I motioned for her to pick up the tea I had placed in front of her. If I couldn't keep her safe and comfortable right now, how was I going to make sure that she survived six months, to the end of the tests? Kate, obviously bothered by my silence, thought that I was unconvinced. In truth, I was. She started explaining to me why I should bring Ava back – her young age, which was just an illusion. Ava was millennia older than Kate was.

And then Kate did the unthinkable. She blamed herself. I set my cup down on the edge of the coffee table. How could she blame herself for Ava's death? Two weeks ago, Ava would have died if Kate had not risked her own life to save her, if she had not promised to me six months out of the year. Kate had no reason to hold any blame. It was Ava's fault for being insensitive and insipid. It was my fault for drawing the life out of her. It was, in no possible way, Katherine Winters's fault. I tried to explain it to her, and she brought up another defense – that Ava didn't _deserve_ death. Most people that died did not _deserve_ their death. Death was not a thing that was handed out on saint behavior or bad mistakes. It was a time thing. Everything had its time, like an expiration date.

Kate's eyes watered with tears, and I swallowed to keep from moving to her side. It would probably freak her out. She was nervous, she was frustrated, she was upset. And this time, it did deserve blame. It was all on me. Kate said the words that broke my heart. She was terrified of this place, of me. Kate gave another speech, how Ava was her friend now, how she would do anything, how she would not just let her friend die. Her hands were so tight on the tea cup that I wondered if she could break the fine china. I would place a bet on everyone in this house before her. Out of all of us, she was the weakest one on the property. The only one who was mortal.

I stared into my half-drunk tea, wondering if the answer would come to me in the soft, champagne-colored bubbles. I still couldn't get over Kate's selflessness. In all my years governing the dead and almost-dead, I had never seen anyone act with such despair and complete misunderstanding. Kate didn't get that death was final, that I could only hold back death, because it would eventually come. In all my power, I _couldn't_ stop death from taking another victim. And I couldn't, for the life of me, understand why she didn't see that.

"Kate, I do not invite just anyone into my home. Do you understand why I offered this to you?" I asked. It was obvious that we would not agree on the fate of Ava. Kate was soft and loving, I was unchanging. She shook her head, her eyes locked on mine. I was almost sure that she was squirming in her chair under my gaze. Just the thought of it made my heart pump a little faster. "Because even though she had abandoned you, instead of feeling spiteful or allowing her to die, you did everything within your power – including face one of your greatest fears – to save her."

She was still clueless. So misunderstanding. She believed everyone would do what she had done. I had almost never seen anybody do what she had done. Why couldn't she understand that? The human race wasn't perfect, wasn't completely loving, wasn't selfless.

I decided that this was the last moment that I could stand to face Kate like this. I would offer her a chance one last time, and I would change the pawns in the deal. It would not be Ava's life returned to her empty body, but instead, I would prevent her mother's death. I explained to her the new terms. I could not heal her mother, but I could keep her from dying. I could not make her brand new again, but I could make sure, when her time did run out, that she would have a peaceful death instead of a painful one.

Kate was going to be lost without Diana. But hopefully, she would pass the tests, and then she would realize that her sickly mother was really one of the strongest women this earth had ever seen. Hopefully, Kate would not face returning to a fabricated little town, completely alone.

She accepted my new terms. We had made an agreement. A new deal. I actually felt good about that. I wanted her to stay with me all winter. She intrigued me. She was unique, different, and wonderful. The beauty hidden inside of her was a shining beacon of golden light, something that I had never, in all of my years, seen before.

"Then it is done." The words felt strong coming from me. I could handle this. I could keep Kate alive, and manage to make sure that she and Diana would be able to speak in her dreams. Diana would be pleased – my sister had been waiting for this time, when her daughter would live in the comfort of the manor, for nearly eighteen years. Now the time had come, and her mortal body was stuck inside a hospital. But she would get her chance to impart her last words of wisdom to her daughter before leaving her mortal body behind. I would make sure of it. "You will be my guest this winter. Sofia will escort you to your room, and nothing will be asked of you until tomorrow."

Kate nodded, her eyes still swimming with tears. She had managed to stay strong all throughout our discussion until we had reached the topic of Diana. Then, she had broken down.

To my surprise, Kate still didn't know where she was. She had no idea that this _was_ the beginning of the Underworld. One step into my red crystalline portal in the front hall, and she would be standing before the castle of the Underworld, my true home. I stood up as I explained the names this place held, offering her my hand. She didn't take it, and I managed to hide this discomfort and the slight hurt deep down inside me. She would live with me, yet she wouldn't trust me.

"This is the gate between the living and the dead," I explained. "You are still living. The others on the grounds died a very long time ago." It was just a white lie. The others on the grounds had never lived, but she couldn't be privy to that information, yet. It would ruin the tests.

She gave a visible shiver at that. Humans had such a strange way of approaching death – some of them were hopelessly interested in it, while others feared it with every fiber of their being. I figured that it would be safe to say that Kate feared it; she worried about when it would take her mother, and when it would leave her alone in the world. "And you?" She asked, her voice reasonably strong and smooth.

"Me?" I tried not to smile. How could she have not noticed, yet? She had read the myth of me and my first wife on repeat for the last two weeks, and yet she could not identify who I was? "I rule the dead. I am not one of them."

Before Kate could say anything else, Sofia appeared in the doorway to the room. She glanced at the uneaten food on the tray and the cups on either side of it – mine nearly empty, Kate's nearly full. She motioned for Kate to follow her. The twelfth girl stepped towards Sofia without another look back at me.

I stood there, though, watching her leave down the hallway. I had managed to strike a deal with her. I had been given another six months. This could very well be the beginning of the end. Or it was the beginning of a whole new thing. I couldn't be sure which was true yet, and I honestly couldn't say which one I yearned for.

# # #

"Congratulations, Henry." Walter said easily. He and Phillip had met me in the library, where I usually retired at the end of the day. I could see Ava beyond them, sitting on the window seat that overlooked the tangling of tree limbs. "You've succeeded in getting her to the manor. We cannot wait past tomorrow. We will have to get started right away with the tests."

I nodded, because I had expected this. I knew all about the tests. They were the seven deadly sins. Interestingly enough, we required that, to earn immortality, one would have to be free of the sins. The gods, on the other hand, were prone to holding the sins close to themselves. Ava was the goddess of love, and to her, that included lust. Walter was full of pride. Calliope had enough wrath in her to destroy a small village, which we'd had to dissuade her from doing in the past. But Kate was expected to be perfect.

The tests were also at random. At least, sometimes. I knew Irene already had hers planned, as was expected with her. But some of the others remained unsure of how they were going to test Kate. I figured that they would just choose a significant time in Kate's six months here to explain why she did or didn't pass the test.

That is, if she survived long enough to reach the tests.

"That is not all, Henry." Walter smiled at me, and I bit back the urge to sigh and look away. Walter had taken his spot as king of the gods without a second glance. He held onto that position with white-knuckled fingers, and he never failed to point out that he was the one who controlled the highest realm. He would not appreciate any ignorance of him on my part, and I decided long ago that it was easier to just let Walter bask in all of his self-proclaimed glory than to fight him. "We've decided to move the ball up. Considering the fact that some of the girls didn't even manage to make it through their balls, we figured that it would be the best way to have the council be introduced to your next competitor. Secretly, of course."

"You've decided to change the date of the ball and you've just decided to tell me?"

"Don't be so offended, Henry. It was just another one of those things that you can't particularly have a say in. You know this is how these things go. We can't have you weighing in when it affects your future." I closed my eyes momentarily, letting out a heavy sigh. Sometimes, I wished that I could really let Walter have it without starting some sort of war, because that's how he would see it.

Phillip, sensing the tension in the room, stood up abruptly. "Henry," He said, drawing Walter's attention as well as mine. "I need to have a word with you," He said, standing up from his seat. He gave a courtesy nod to Walter and walked towards me. I followed him out of the library. The moment the door closed behind me, he clapped me on the shoulder. "Don't let him bother you so much, Hades. You know how he is. Besides that, you get to see all these beautiful girls while he's stuck with Calliope watching his every move."

I knew he was just trying to lighten the mood, but that was a job that was more fitting for Ava. As if she knew that her presence was needed, Ava appeared. Or maybe she had decided that being holed up in a room with Walter for so long was affecting her sanity. I shook my head to clear the angry thoughts directed at my brother. All he had done to me was point out, yet again, that he was the head of the council. While I spent all of my time underground, he and the others roamed the earth. I was set apart from the rest of them, and no matter how hard to prove that I was unaffected by it, Walter did his best to tease me. I think what really bothered me was that he did it so nonchalantly, as if he wasn't doing his best to get under my skin.

Ava looped her arm around mine and put a hand on Phillip's cheek. "Thank you, Phillip. I do believe that Henry was about to go off on Walter. I like to think it's because Walter is extremely jealous of the ravishingly hot woman that is spending the next six months of her life with Henry." I could feel a barely-there warm flush start to crawl up my neck. When was the last time that I had blushed?

Phillip coughed, clearing his throat. "I've got to go check on the horses in the stables. I'll see you later, Henry, Ava," He nodded to each one of us in turn before turning and walking towards the doors that led outside.

Ava giggled to herself and pulled me down the hallway. "Ava," I chastised, "You know that you can't just roam the place with Kate here. Not until she's ready to see you as a ghost."

She rolled her eyes at me. "Please. She's locked up in her room, as I imagine she'll stay, until she's forced to come out tomorrow." Ava replied. As we neared my bedroom, Ava glanced at me. "Really, though, you need to learn to reign in that anger of yours. I know you like to be all protective and stuff, but she's not yours… yet." With that, she let go of my arm and skipped off, heading down the hallway, adding a sway to her steps. Within seconds, she was around the corner.

# # #

Sofia and Ava had teamed up while I had been sleeping. For now, Ava was working her magic behind the scenes, and she'd decided to use soft, loving Sofia. They came to my room early in the morning and told me that Kate had woken. Ella and Calliope, her two dressing maids for the next six months, had gotten her dressed and were leading her down to breakfast. They suggested that I, who ate sporadically, joined her. They seemed to think that my presence would be a comfort to her. I imagined that it would just stress her, considering the fact that she'd told me last night that I terrified her.

Still, I did as they said, dressing in one of my dark shirts – they were all almost the same, there was no reason for any sort of fashion here, something Ava greatly disagreed with – and headed towards the dining room. I could hear their voices all the way down the hall.

"Why?" It was clearly Kate's voice. I had no idea what she was questioning, but I found myself walking a little faster. I didn't need them answering her questions. If anything, they would just confuse her or scare her. The information regarding her six months here, as well as her tests and the past girls, would be told to her by me and no one else. I would have to make that clear to them the next time that I saw them.

"Let me see Henry." I took a deep breath at the sound of that. She actually wanted to see me? Perhaps Ava and Sofia had been right this morning. Maybe Kate did want to see me. Maybe I did not scare her as I did initially. I pushed open the door just as Kate started to move, her chair pushed back from the table and her skirt clenched in her fists, her voice rising. "_Let me talk to him!_"

"I'm here." I said. In the silence of the room, my voice echoed over the smooth stones. Ella and Calliope stood a little straighter, their eyes on me as I stepped into the room. Kate nearly tripped over her large skirt, surely Ella's doing, and I used my inhuman speed to appear at her side, ready to catch her if I needed to. It turned out that she did not need me. Her hand grasped the back of her chair and she looked up at me. I was closer than what was probably comfortable to her. Her eyes skimmed over my face and she stood a little straighter, lifting her chin. I wasn't sure if she was aware of the defiant stance she was taking.

"Why?" She asked. I imagined that she was trying to sound strong, but her voice was frail, a squeak at the most. "Why am I here? I'm not your princess, and I didn't sign up for any of this, so why is it happening?" I repressed the urge to sigh. I knew that the others would have been too excited for her. They had all converged on her, and she'd been ambushed.

I held out my hand to her. She looked at me for a second, her eyes trailing over my upturned palm, before resting her hand in mine. Her hands were very small and fairly soft, warm to the touch. "Close your eyes." I whispered to her, my voice low, directed only to her. To my surprise, she did without hesitation. And so I took her away from the dining hall, away from the eyes staring into her form, and to a place that Diana loved and nurtured in her time here.

Kate began to ask me questions. I knew that this was coming. It had to. She was logical, as Ava had said. She wouldn't just accept whatever I had to say with a smile. She would want to get down into the meaning of everything, and that meant touching the pieces of me that I had pushed far from my mind. I closed my eyes for a moment when she mentioned Persephone. When the others said her name, I could feel face harden, my eyes going cold. But when Kate mentioned her, I got the flash of her standing right next to Kate, two sisters that knew nothing of each other.

Luckily for me, she didn't linger on my first and only wife. Instead, she started asking me how all of this was possible. She had seen me raise the dead. She had felt the transition from the dining hall to the outdoors, and it had only lasted seconds. Yet she still refused to believe that I was a god. Perhaps she was more stubborn than even I could have imagined.

To my surprise, our conversation was fairly easy. On my part, anyway. It was nice to just fall into a conversation with someone without having them look at you like you were on borrowed time. I imagined that I was – two more years were all I had before my century of searching was over. Kate was the last girl that would ever pass through those manor doors with the goal of becoming my wife.

It was so easy, in fact, that without really thinking about it, I reached out to take her hand. I liked the feeling of her warm hand in mine, so small and delicate. She stiffened immediately, and I felt my stomach clench. She was still afraid of me. She hadn't showed it in the dining hall, but now it came through loud and clear. I sighed, but could not refrain from just barely touching her. She brought a sense of comfort that I hadn't had in a long time. A sense of easiness, that I wasn't just wasting away in an eternity.

Unfortunately, Kate returned to the subject of Persephone. "What does your wife dying have to do with me?"

I paused. How to explain it to her? The fact that Persephone had left me was the very reason that she, and eleven others, had stood before me. The fact that Persephone had left me put me into a depression that lasted thousands of years and threatened my very existence. Finally, I sighed and just told her. If she was to be my wife one day, then I would want a relationship built on any type of honesty that I could give her. "As I said, she chose to die rather than to stay with me. I was her husband, but she simply loved him more." I focused on keeping my face blank, but by the look on Kate's face, I had failed.

"You know you look way too young to be married, right?" She asked me. I wanted to tell her all about Calliope and Walter – two people that were married yet looked like they belonged to different generations. "How old are you anyway?"

I had existed from the beginning of time, from the beginning of humanity. But I figured that it wasn't the answer she was looking for. She wanted something numerical, and that was a number that I couldn't give her. "Older than I look." I paused for a moment. I took a deep breath, trying to sound like I was at ease with her, but the truth was that the topic was really wearing down on me. I explained to Kate that I had loved Persephone so much that it was the least I could do to let her go. She'd needed me, anyway, to let her die. Without my cooperation, she would have been living a life of immortality.

Kate still didn't understand. I tried again to explain it to her, clearly this time, hoping that we could change topics. "I have been ruling on my own for nearly a thousand years, but a century ago, I agreed to only a hundred more before my brothers and sisters take the realm from me. I cannot handle it on my own, not anymore. There are simply too many for me to do it alone. I have been searching for a partner ever since, and you are the last one, Kate. This spring, the final decision will be made. If you are accepted, you will rule with me as my queen for six months of the year. If you do not, you will return to your old life with no memory of this time." That was the bottom line. That was nearly everything that she needed to know.

Kate then asked another question that made me want to hand the reigns over to someone else. She asked about the other girls, the ones who had stood in the spot before her. I had to explain it to her. Some of them lost their insanity, for the tests were too strong for them. Some of them had been tricked into losing. But in the end, none of them had passed because none of them had had the chance to. I didn't tell her the real kicker – that each and every one of them had met an early death, one that I could not postpone or save them from.

Kate seemed to think that I was insane, that I didn't have my head in the right place. She still refused to believe that I was who I said I was. How had Diana managed to raise such a narrow-minded girl when she was destined for this? Or maybe, Kate was just stubborn and refused to give in to anything that she wasn't ready to. It was sort of respectable, in an annoying, obnoxious sort of way.

She looked like she was about to turn away and walk off the property. If she did that, it was all over. Her wind would have to be wiped, Diana's mortal body would still die, and I would be left to fade in silence. But, like she had the ability to do, Ava appeared at just the right time.

_Having a hard time, Henry_? Her voice was teasing as she stood at the other end of the path. Kate's back was to her. My eyes connected with hers over Kate's shoulder. _I told you she was logical. I'm assuming she still won't believe you. But don't worry, I'm here to rescue you, as always_.

"Kate?" She called. Kate's body stiffened.

I found myself smiling, though Kate's face was no longer focused on me. She wasn't focused on anyone. Instead, her shocked expression was looking at the patch of flowers nearby. "Anything is possible if you give it a chance," I told her quietly. My eyes returned to Ava, who smiled at me. She approved of the way I had taken control of the situation. Kate looked up at me for a moment before turning around to face Ava.

She didn't even hesitate before launching herself down the path, into Ava's arms. I watched the two of them in their reunification. I kept my eyes to the ground, focusing on the flowers that Diana had lovingly cared for. I could already imagine her back at the manor, the whole land singing at her return.

"Henry?" I heard my name, my body already reacting. I had only been partially listening to their conversation, giving them the distance that I thought they deserved. Kate had given up a part of her life for Ava once, and she had tried to do it again. "She can stay?" Kate's voice was sort of pleading, but I didn't think she was aware of that.

I nodded. Of course Ava would be staying. She kept me just as sane as she did Kate. "She can stay on the grounds, but she may not leave." I replied. It was true, I supposed. There wasn't anything to go to out there. Besides that, Ava would have no reason to. The manor was her home, just as it was mine.

I asked Ava to give us a minute. She flashed me a smile and nodded, her voice whispering through my head. _I told you that I would handle it, Henry. See? You should trust me more often._ Kate directed her to talk to Ella about the closet, which I knew the two wouldn't see eye-to-eye about, before bounding away.

Kate took the chance to ask me about the dream with her mother. I explained to her that it would happen to her every night. She would get to speak to her mother, she would get to see her well and whole, before Diana's mortal body left this world and the Diana I knew returned to the manor. I was just pleased with myself. I had managed to give her something that she had honestly wanted. I had managed to make her somewhat comfortable here in an uncomfortable situation. I hoped Diana approved.

"What now? What am I supposed to do?" Kate asked me. She seemed a little worried about it. I could imagine why. She had been taken from a highly logical world which she embraced wholeheartedly and was thrown into a world of gods and goddesses, secret tests, and possible immortality.

"Just be yourself," I replied. I lifted my hand to put it on her shoulder, but I hesitated. Still, I followed all the way through, my palm resting on her shoulder. I didn't want to scare her away from me, so I removed my hand after only a second. I gave her another short explanation of the tests, telling her that I had no ties to the test myself. Walter's reminder of that yesterday had angered me, but now I felt that it was for the better. Kate could learn to trust me if she knew that I wasn't the one giving her what would either promise immortality or a life alone, without her mother.

She managed to make me laugh, which was a miracle in itself. I couldn't remember the last time that I had laughed. It was just a chuckle, but it was something. I was almost sure that Ava was watching from a distance, and I wanted to tell her to butt out of it, but I couldn't manage to do that while keeping my face straight. I had to explain to Kate what the prize was. Immortality was nothing to be scoffed at, especially with what she had to go through to earn it.

I leaned forward a little more after explaining that she would have freedom with her immortal life, for six months out of each year. "Perhaps, you may even learn how to swim."

The fear and stress that had taken over her expression and tensed her body immediately dissipated. She snorted loudly, which was so unlike any of the other girls that I'd had here that it made me smile. "Good luck with that." She told me.

I couldn't help but smile. Her words made me feel elated because I'd never had such an easy banter with someone like her before. I could tease Ava, and she would endlessly tease me back, but she was the only one that didn't look at me like I was sometimes an outsider. Kate was a breath of fresh air. And even though I smiled, I knew that the words I spoke had more significance to me than they did to her. "Or perhaps some things are impossible after all."

**What do you guys think? As always, I want to give another reminder/disclaimer: So far, all of the scenes with Kate and Henry have been out of the books. The words they speak to each other and not my own. I have the book in front of me. But as you've probably noticed, I try to skip around the majority of the conversation while only putting enough to keep you guys knowing exactly what's going on with them. I hope it's sufficient. (:**

**I've been wondering if anyone can answer this question for me: What color are Kate's eyes? For the life of me, I can't remember.**

**Thank you all for reading, and be sure to leave me a quick review. Check back for an update! Peace. (:**


	5. The Ball

**Huntress3419 – Thank you so much! I really appreciate it. (: And I, too, like it when the guy falls for the girl. It's somehow sweeter than girls chasing guys, for some reason. In the series, I was thinking that Kate had fallen for Henry long before he fell for her, but, as I mentioned somewhere before, there's a line in the second book that is something along the lines of "I've loved you since the moment I first saw you" and I decided to play up on that. Besides, who doesn't want to earn the interest of a hot Grecian god? :P**

**DyanneV – No worries. I thank you for taking the time to review not just one but two chapters. And I'm so glad that Henry is starting to seem like a real book-Henry. I'll be honest, I love that character of him (besides the part where he is holding onto Persephone so hard, ugh.) And another truth from me: I absolutely love Ava's character. I imagined that since she was such a good friend to Kate that she would be a good friend to Henry as well. And as for the color of Kate's eyes, I'm starting to wonder if they were ever mentioned. I even scoured the model on the cover of the book to see if her eye color is discernible. Unless I'm told otherwise, I think I've decided that her eye color will be a bluish green, so it fits with both. (:**

**Guest – Thank you! **

**Ggbrownie – Thank you! Here's the next chapter. (:**

**The Goddess Test Series belongs to Aimee Carter.**

_5: The Ball_

"You didn't think that you would forewarn me about the goddess of love making an entrance?" Ella asked gruffly. She was usually very calm and collected, sweet but fierce. In this case, there was only the fierce side to be seen. I knew that she was still bothered by the fact that she and Theo had been pulled apart – the two of them hadn't really been _apart_ in thousands of years, if ever – but I figured that she would overlook that and face the situation calmly and logically.

Apparently, I was wrong.

"I apologize, Ella, I really do." I answered. "I guess I should've foreseen that you two would be at it again. I figured that, at most, you would argue over something, but I hadn't imagined that you would go running to Kate to fix your problems." I said it calmly, adding enough accusation to it so that she knew I wasn't impressed with the fact that she and Ava had chosen to tangle words in front of Kate. She was already stressed enough as it was, without having to fix her friend's problems.

"As I said before, Ava decided to take it to Kate. Besides that, Henry, you know full well that if Kate is to ever pass these tests, she needs to learn to deal with these types of disagreements. How do you expect her to help you rule over the Underworld if she can't keep her dress-stealing friend on a leash?"

"As I've been made aware, Kate gave Ava permission into the suite." I replied. I could sense that there was someone else nearby. I looked up over Ella's shoulder and caught a glimpse of blonde hair. It certainly wasn't Ava. If she were standing there, she would have already stalked into the room and started another brawl in the library. The only other person that it could be was Calliope. And it was much more like Calliope's person to stay hidden, listening in on the conversation.

"And what if Ava was the one that had killed all of those other girls so ruthlessly?" I opened my mouth to argue with her, because I knew that Ava would never do such a thing – she was _rooting_ for a girl to pass the tests – when Ella cut me off. "I'm not saying that she is. Although it seems like it would fit her attention-seeking, beauty-flaunting personality just fine. All I am saying is that Kate is unaware of everything that is truly going on here. I wouldn't put it past the girl to grant entrance to everyone in the manor."

"Kate is smarter than that," I refuted. "She is not a dim-witted character, Ella. I wish you would not assume the worst out of her."

"I'm not _assuming_ anything. I am simply deducing that, by her friendship with Aphrodite, she is partially clueless. No one of any true intelligence could stand that blonde virtue-breaker." She said angrily.

I felt my eyebrows rise. I was sure that Ella had not meant it the way it sounded. If so, she had just called me dim-witted and clueless, as well as the majority of the council. Ella was the only one that really did not like Ava. At least, that was still living.

Ella and Ava had always been at each other's throats. There were times when they were quite peaceful with each other, but there was a tension underlying every moment that they were together. It wasn't so much as personality, but principle. Ella stood for maidenhood, Ava reveled in love and lust. The two were on opposite ends of the spectrum. As if that wasn't enough to keep them at odds, Ava had, on occasion, set her sights on Theo. Ella was incredibly protective of her twin brother, and Ava's easy chasing of him made her angry.

Ella seemed to catch the meaning in her words. "You know I do not mean it that way, Henry. Don't you dare look at me like that." She added. "I am still upset with you, you know. And your refusal to do anything logical in this situation has only made me all the more frustrated."

Over Ella's shoulder, I saw Calliope slide into the shadows. I didn't like that she lingered there, but I couldn't tell her that she couldn't do whatever she pleased. She was the queen of the gods, the queen of the heavens. I was just the ruler of the Underworld. Besides that, she was needed for Kate's tests. Without her, they could not be completed. I could not anger Calliope, and so I would have to keep my mouth shut when it came to her.

Ella, accepting my silence as an answer, turned on her heel to leave. I knew that she and Calliope were planning to constantly be at Kate's side, extra guards when it came to her safety. Besides that, they were probably watching her for information on her. They needed to see her to know if she passed the tests, and that sometimes meant having them closer to her than I would have liked. I didn't mind Ella. In fact, I truly did like her. But when she was in this state of mind, she was a force to be reckoned with. She could very easily forget that Kate wasn't immortal, that she was partially clueless when it came to everything that went on here.

"Ella," I called out at her retreating form. She paused, turning to look at me. "Please don't torture her with those dresses any more than you have to. She seemed very uncomfortable this morning."

Ella's lips curled into a smile. I couldn't tell the meaning behind it, but I found myself worried that it meant she wouldn't take my suggestion to heart. "Of course not, Henry. Not any more than I absolutely have to."

I sighed. Ella knew her way with words. I knew I should have formed my question differently. Ella was liable to find any loopholes that she could, and she would use them without looking back. My other worry was that she would lay it all out on the line. She was never one to hold secrets. Truth and honesty were high on her list of priorities, another reason that she couldn't stand Ava because the goddess of love lied to protect those that she didn't think could handle the truth and spent the majority of her existence dancing through secrets that were not her own. I wouldn't put it past her to try her best to annoy Ava into leaving, or punish me and Ava by speaking the truth to Kate, who was not ready for it yet.

"Forget about their pettiness, Henry." Her voice was smooth and light. Calliope had come from the shadows. She had stepped into the room when I had not been paying attention, and now she was going to speak her piece. "But you do realize that she is at least somewhat right. Ava is not the most trustworthy of all of us here." I didn't mention that I trusted her with less than I trusted Ava.

"We all have our secrets." I answered, my eyes scanning her face. Her facial expression didn't change, but that wasn't much of a sign. I had masked deep, dark pain for hundreds of years. Nobody knew the real weight of it. We had forever to train ourselves into hiding our deepest thoughts. What I looked for was the change in Calliope's eyes. And there was one, one so small that I couldn't really discern what it meant. I just figured that she had a secret, hidden deep inside, that she wasn't going to let me or anyone else be privy to.

Calliope flipped her hair over her shoulder and laid a hand on my arm. "Don't take Ava's thoughtless actions out on us, Hades." She murmured. For a second, I thought I felt a burning heat on my arm where she touched me. It was probably my imagination because Calliope would have no reason to use her gifts on me. Besides, the council would not look upon her with a kind eye if she did so. We were a family, we said, and families don't trick or prod each other into doing something they're unwilling to do. Of course, they didn't see their refusal to let me fade as a trick, an illusion, and blackmail. Instead, they saw it as constructive criticism of sorts. To let me do as I pleased, they said, would upset the balance, and that was something that they would not do willingly.

Still, although I doubted that Calliope would stoop to such levels, I pulled away from her. "Just as Ella has been held accountable for her actions, Ava will as well. I am not playing favorites with my family, Calliope. Each has what is coming to them." I met her gaze as I said that.

Calliope's lips tightened momentarily. Her entire face relaxed in a second's time, and she gave me a small smile. "Yes. The Fates have a way of weaving their will into the life of all of us, immortal or not." She turned without another word, exiting the room and leaving me on my own.

The reprieve from Ella and Calliope did not last long. Before I could even find the book that I had been studiously working through, someone else entered the room. With my back to the door, I sat the book down heavily and turned to see who else had decided to take up the moments of my day.

I fought the urge to disappear to somewhere else when I saw who had decided to join me. Walter gave me his classic smile that said he knew that he had managed to get under my skin. "Hello, brother," He said politely. "I just saw Calliope leaving. She said that you were in here. I have something that we need to discuss."

"What could it possibly be, Walter?" I asked, fingers tightening around the edge of the book I still partly held.

"It concerns Kate." He said. I felt myself stiffen as I dropped the rest of the book onto the table and turned to face him. I waited for her to say something more, but he just stood there proudly, looking amused and pleased with himself. After a few seconds of terse silence, he finally said, "The council has made another decision regarding your contact with Kate."

"You've decided that you can control how and when I speak to her?" I asked, a little shocked. They had never dictated my involvement with the previous eleven girls. Their only rule was that we could not engage in any activity that Ava had control over. It was not a rule that I planned to break in the near future, or ever, for that matter.

"Yes. You don't spend _enough_ time with her. If she is to be your wife, you must know how she is. Kate seems a little stubborn and nervous. I'm not sure that she's the natural-born leader you and Diana hoped she would be."

"You don't know anything about her, Walter." I said sharply.

"Now, now, brother. Don't get angry with me for delivering the message. The council has made this decision, not just me." He cleared his throat, pausing and taking the time to glance around the room, as if he hadn't seen it before. Finally, he decided to speak. "We've decided that each and every evening, you will spend time with Miss Katherine Winters. And we don't mean somewhere with Ava or Ella or Calliope listening in. We mean time with just the two of you alone, together." My eyebrows drew together at that. "Of course," We added, "I trust that you won't attempt to fail Kate."

I knew exactly what he meant. Lust was one of the tests that Kate had to pass. "Of course not, Walter. But I don't believe that you and the council should require me to –"

"It's already done, Henry. Tomorrow after the ball, we expect that you will start this tradition. You _will_ spend time with her, Hades." He said, his voice a warning. He didn't give me the time to answer him. Instead, he just disappeared from the room, transporting himself elsewhere.

I stood there for a second longer, just to make sure that no other member of my extended family would come marching in with some sort of cryptic words to say to me before sitting down heavily in my chair. I ran a tired hand over my face. I could not remember the last time I had truly been tired. Kate had been here for less than twenty-four hours, and I had already had to divert an argument, push away another round of Calliope's advances, listen to my youngest brother boast of his own greatness, and I still had to prepare for tomorrow's ball. For the first time in my existence, time seemed so short.

It was moments like this when I played with the idea of going into the front hall, to my blood red portal, and entering the world under the surface. There, I would be alone until someone decided to search for me there. It was enticing, to say the least. But in the end, I decided that I would stay at Eden Manor. After all, Kate was here, and it seemed like I was the only one who was doing their best to not cause her any trouble.

# # #

I sat on a raised platform in the ballroom, the fourteen chairs of the council lined up behind me. I knew that they would look formidable to her, a mortal who had probably never seen a real throne in her entire life. Now, she would see fourteen of them, and she would know, by this time, what they meant. Given her out-of-the-spotlight personality, I assumed that she would feel uncomfortable with the idea of the ball.

I was spoken to only on occasion, since Kate could be arriving any moment. The others didn't need to showcase themselves by speaking to me as she entered the room. She was smart enough to remember who they were the next time she was faced with them. The safety of their identities was the key tonight.

Kate stepped into the room, and I could feel every muscle in my body relax a little bit. She looked stunning, her dress fitted just for her. I could tell by the unrealistic dip in the line of her waist and the way she breathed that Ella had forced her into a corset. I had seen the girls of that time tie their bodies so tight that it destroyed their internal organs. Ella was well aware of it, yet she still stuffed Katherine, the only mortal in the manor, into one. I couldn't reprimand her then, of course, so I kept my lips sealed as they walked closer to me. Kate was flanked by Ella, Calliope, and Ava, the last being the only one that seemed fully concerned with how Kate was taking everything in.

I stood up as they ascended the short staircase. In just a few seconds, Kate stood before me. I gave a slight bow in her direction, whispering that she looked beautiful in her dress. She stuttered on her reply, taking a hold of either side of the dress and dipping a little bit. I figured that it was an odd attempt at a curtsey. I probably should have held my laughter, but a slight chuckle managed to escape me. She was so beautiful in person that her awkwardness only heightened her charm.

I held out my hand to her. She seemed a little wobbly on whatever shoes Ella had likely forced on her. She looked down at my outstretched palm and then carefully took it. Her fingers griped mine harder than I was sure she meant to as I led her to the center of the platform. Standing together, we faced the fourteen thrones of my family.

I then led her to a small platform that held two seats – one for her and one for me. We sat together in silence, watching the party unfold in front of us. Kate seemed tense, her fingers grasping the arms of her chair. Her eyes kept darting nervously around the room. I imagined that she was searching for my family, who I had told her wished to remain anonymous. Her gaze stayed away from the fourteen thrones at the front of the room. When food and drink passed our way, she looked at them and quietly, politely refused.

The only talk we had was about the number of people in the ballroom. I told her that while some of them were family, the others were my dead subjects who had wished to meet their possible queen. I had hoped to end it at that, since her prodding could only lead to more lies, when she mentioned that one of the guests at the ball wanted her dead.

I could feel my entire being tighten at that. I hadn't told her that the other girls had died, and it couldn't have been Ava, who made a habit out of lying to protect someone. My only thoughts were that either Ella or Calliope had spoken to her, since they were the only ones that had constant contact with her. I would have to have a talk with them later. I thought that I had made it clear that I was the only one to speak about that sort of stuff with her. Instead of letting my anger show, I answered her as calmly as I could.

"Do not worry, you are safe with me." I meant it. I would not let Diana's daughter die because I was too dense to discover who wanted her dead. I would never be able to look at Diana in the eye and know that I had caused her not the loss of just one daughter, but two.

I cut the topic short. I would not answer any more questions revolving around the death that Kate seemed to think was upon her. We sat there silently for a few more hours until it came time for her to accept the seeds. The seeds had a starring role in the story of Persephone's marriage to me. It was said that the seeds were the only things she had eaten, and because of that I required her to stay with me for one month for every seed she had eaten. The truth was that it was much like this moment, now. I asked if she would accept the seeds, and she did.

I did the same with Kate. She nodded and answered a quiet yes. I watched her as she slowly chewed and swallowed each of the six seeds presented before her. I could tell that she did not like them, but she ate them. She was honorable. She would not go back on a deal for something as small as a few seeds. Once she finished them all, the crowd gathered in front of us cheered.

It did not take Ava, Calliope, and Ella long to ascend the stairs and gather her to take back to her bedroom. The crowd was already starting to disperse. I sighed, knowing that what lay ahead would be a big step for the both of us. I had not spent a second of my time with Kate that was not required. Now, I would have to wait in her bedroom suite for her.

I found myself hoping that she did not just send me out of the room without a second glare. I found myself hoping that she actually let me sit with her, just for a while, so I could see what made her who she was. What had Diana done, I wondered, to make a woman that was compassionate and understanding, who was stubborn and honest and loyal?

# # #

The moment Kate had left the ballroom, I'd retired to my own bedroom. On Walter's – or the council's – orders, I was to spend my evenings with Kate, only until she asked me to leave her to her sleep. I changed out of the formal dress I had worn for the ball. I'd decided to wear a comfortable pair of modern pajama bottoms and silk robe that was hanging in my closet. I would not go out of the way to seem like I had prepared for this. This was sleep attire. It was perfectly acceptable.

I took the book that I had been reading earlier and zapped myself into Kate's room. She had not yet returned from the ball. It was probably due to the planning of Ella, Calliope, and Ava. They supposedly knew of the time that I was required to spend with Kate, since they had decided on it.

Kate's suite was clean. It almost seemed as if no one had lived in here. I was sure that it was Kate's bedroom. It was so neat and ordered, though, that I chanced a look in the closet. Sure enough, a row of dresses lined the racks. This was definitely Kate's room. I pushed aside the curtain of the bed and leaned against the pillows, propping the book open on my lap. I had no idea how long it would take them to deliver Kate to her own bedroom, but I figured that I could get some reading done.

Besides, Walter hadn't specified what needed to happen during these visits. She could do as she wished and I could sit in the same room and read. It was a visit – I was in her space – and neither of us had to bother the other.

Just as I was getting to an interesting part of my novel, the bedroom door opened. It didn't take long for it to close. I glanced up in time to see Kate step into the room. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair before kicking off her shoes into the corner of the room. Her fingers went to the back of her dress as she began to unlace it. I immediately averted my eyes. Kate had no idea that I was sitting in her bedroom. I would not give her the belief that I had watched her for any moment when she thought she was alone.

She took a deep breath and neared the bed. Her fingers grabbed the edge of the curtain and she pulled it back. I did my best to look innocent and bored as I looked up at her, my book still open on my lap. Kate gasped, stepping back from the edge of the bed, her hand going to her mouth.

Her breath caught in her throat as she stated the obvious – this was her bed. "What are you _doing_ here?" She demanded.

I looked down at the open book in my lap, and then back at her. I sat up a little more on the pillows and answered truthfully. "Reading." I eyed the way her hands tangled with the strings at the back of her dress. "Would you like help with that?"

She paused to look at me. Within seconds, I had stepped around the bed and had gone to her. Easily, I undid the laces in the back of her corset. She took a deep breath the moment she was free from the contraption. I promised her that I wouldn't look as she changed, returning to my earlier seat on the bed. I picked up my book, knowing that I could get through a few paragraphs while she changed out of the beautiful dress.

Kate returned minutes later, wrapped in a thick robe. She looked exhausted, and I knew that I should've just let her sleep. I explained to her why I was here. The council had decided that I was to spend time with her. I was not just lying in her bed at my own discretion. She asked me a few more personal questions, the obvious dislike in her eyes making me laugh. It wasn't as hurtful as I imagined it would be. I explained to her that I just wanted to know her better, that she interested me in a way that no one else ever had before.

Kate told me that she didn't want to be my wife. I told her that she could just fail the tests. Her cheeks immediately flushed at that, and she looked away from me for a moment. She started to apologize and I cut her off. There was no need for her to tell me that she was sorry for anything. I told her exactly what James would have told her – she had a choice in this. It wasn't as if she were being pushed into this, the way I had been.

Our conversation drifted away from the topic of her title as my wife, if she were to pass, and she asked what would happen if I failed. I would not lie to her. I could not lie to her. I explained to her what happened when gods ceased to exist. They did not die. Dying was for the living. I faded. I disappeared from the face of the earth, leaving nothing behind for anybody to mourn or miss, but their memories of me.

She asked me about James. Of course, she did not know that it was James she spoke of. I refused to tell her that. James was given the same amount of anonymity as the others were, even though I wished that I could tell her everything. James was one of her best friends, though. I couldn't destroy a friendship over the fact that I was hurt he had relations with my first wife.

From there, we moved to easier topics. I refused to talk any more about me, my family, what would happen after the tests, or the Underworld. Instead, I asked her about her. She was simple, beautiful, honest. She liked reading. She liked playing card games.

We sat in silence for a while before she asked me to leave. She was even kind about it, telling me not to take it the wrong way, as if sending me to my own bedroom would cut straight through to my heart. In all honesty, I did feel that pang that she didn't want to spend more time with me, but she was tired, I could see that clearly on her face.

I took my book, nodded to her, and whispered a good night in her direction. I smiled to myself as I stepped out into the hall. Of course Kate would have a good night. She was going to dream of her mother again.

**Okay, what do you guys think? As always, I ask for you to leave me a review with your comments/criticism. I also want to thank you for reading, and I apologize in advanced for spelling/grammatical errors. Thanks again! Peace. (:**


	6. The First Test

**Huntress3419 – Indeed, that is your prize for reviewing first. :P Thanks for the faithful review! (:**

**Bragi002 – I completely agree. I always thought that Henry was basically forcing himself to "love" Persephone, when all it really was was regret for not making things work out. And, apparently he was able to delude himself enough that it took someone with a really spectacular character to pull him out of it. As for the color of her eyes, thank you **_**so**_** much. The eyes are my favorite feature on any person, and the fact that I was clueless to her eye color was kind of sad. Thanks! (:**

**Guest – Since there are three reviews some "Guest" and I'm not sure if you guys are the same person or not, I'm just going to answer all the "Guests" in one reply. **_**(Entry One):**_** I absolutely love it when the guy falls for the girl first. It's definitely more romantic. **_**(Entry Two):**_** Sorry about the color. I was certain that Kate once described it as red. And I wasn't really sure on the time of the ball. It seemed soon, so I just wrote it that way. But you could very well be correct, so thanks for the correction. (; **_**(Entry Three):**_** Yes, I've been suggested to write a James POV, but I doubt it would be a full-length novel (not that this is going to be a full-length novel, but whatever.) It would probably be more like a planned novella. Thanks for the review!**

**Ggbrownie – Thank you so much for the review! I'm glad this Henry turns out to be the Henry you've always imagined. :P**

**Aubrey1207 – Thanks for reviewing every single chapter! Honestly, it made me smile. (: I'm glad you're enjoying the story!**

**DyanneV – Thank you! I still get a little confused with what everyone is to everyone else (brother, sister, niece, etc.) I will be one of the first to admit that their family is definitely twisted, but it is amazingly fun to write. And don't worry, you will get more updates from their evenings together. (;**

**Cassidy – Thank you! And that was the line I was going after! I have to say, it was one of my favorite lines in the entire book. Yay for cutesy love stories!**

**Readaholic – Writing more, just as you asked. (:**

**musik577 – Thanks. (: Glad my version of Henry lives up to the full potential!**

**The Goddess Test Series belongs to Aimee Carter.**

_6: The First Test_

"Aphrodite is doing her best to make all of this a waste of time." Ella complained to me. It seemed that she and Ava where on the outs once again. According to Ava, Ella was being her "usual jealous self." According to Ella, Ava was purposely going out of her way to anger the goddess of the moon.

Today marked the third time that Ella had come to me to ask that I do something about Ava's presence. In all honesty, there wasn't anything that I _could_ do. Ava was a guest just as much as Ella was, and Kate liked her. _I_ liked her, a fact that seemed to mystify Ella to no end.

"You know as well as I that she is there not only for Kate's protection, but also because Kate has found a friend in her."

"I'll admit that this girl of yours has some starring moments, Henry, but other than that, she's not proving to be much of a scholar." As of late, my body reacted to things said about Kate on its own. When she was praised, I struggled to hold back a smile. When she did something funny or clumsy, I did my best to hold back a laugh. And times like this, when someone threatened Kate or her personality, it was like someone had personally offended me. I narrowed my eyes at Ella. I could feel my mouth falling into a slight frown, which, Ava said, had been pleasantly disappearing these last few days.

"Kate's person is not up for discussion." I warned her.

Ella eyed my hands, which had tightened onto the arms of my chair. She looked away with a heavy sigh and said, "Of course I wasn't judging your competitor, Henry. I was making an observation. You must admit that she is rather foolhardy. Anyone could hold her in the palm of their hand and she would have no clue." Ella brushed a chunk of hair behind her ear. "That's a warning, Hades. She's aware of the fact that there is someone out there, yet her precautions have not changed at all. She still dislikes the fact that Calliope tests her food, and for some reason, she still believes that she could have the possibility of lacing a corset on her own."

"I thought we talked about the corsets, Ella."

"They give a shapely figure." She said defensively. I fought the urge to roll my eyes at her. For the life of me, I could not figure out why she loved that era of clothing so much. There must have been something about the tiny waists and bustling skirts that she found beautiful, as well as the ridiculous hats with feathers and lacey parasols. "Surely you would like your possible wife to be beautiful?"

"Kate is fine just as she is." I replied. I sighed and ran a hand over my face. "What have to come to me to discuss today, Ella?" I was getting tired of waiting to hear what was bothering her now. Surely it was something to do with Ava. I had talked to her recently – I talked to her almost every day – and she had only brought up Ella for a short period of time. If the two of them had another fight, I was sure that I would have already heard about it.

"Why can't I just be talking to you like good old friends?"

"Because I know that there's another reason as to why you're here." I said. "Stop playing games and tell me, Ella. I have more important matters to attend to."

"That's right, your date with Kate." She grinned at the words, and I couldn't tell if she was truly pleased that I was spending time with Kate and enjoying it, or if she was making a joke on my behalf. "Fine, you know me well. That's to be expected after all of these years together." She sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. "I always warned Ava to stay away from Theo, and what does she do? The first chance that she gets away from Xander, she is all over my brother. I will not stand for her working her ways on him."

I sighed. I had warned Ava not to make anything more complicated by starting a relationship with Theo. Clearly, she could not be bothered to listen to me. "Theo is an adult, Ella. He's had hundreds of years to mature. And I do believe that this is not the first time that they've been together."

"I warned her that if she were to ever mess with him again, I would tear her to shreds. My threat still stands."

"I beg of you, do not rip up Ava. As much as you dislike her, there are those of us that truly care about her presence. Besides, you want Kate to pass the tests, don't you? And since I don't have a vote on the council, we'll need every member to make sure that she gets through."

Ella looked partially surprised. Her eyes searched mine for a second, and I was almost sure that I saw the corners of her lips twitch up in a slight smile. "Yes," She muttered softly. "Yes, we do want to pass Kate." She sighed, turning her back to me. "But mark my words. If Ava continues to mess with me or my brother, she'll meet an early grave."

# # #

"How was your day?" I asked, sitting down across from her. This was how all our evenings were, and even in their repetition, they were the moments of my day that I looked forward to. In the morning, I sipped tea with a book. Throughout the day, I would be found in every place that I hid by someone complaining about another. Usually, it was Ella or Ava, and on the worst days, it was both of them. James had stayed away from the manor, like he warned me he would, and I was not visited by Walter or Calliope, to my relief.

But my evenings with Kate were quickly becoming the most memorable part of my last hundred years. Every night, we would talk about whatever I could think to question her on. Occasionally, she would question me, and I would try to answer her truthfully without giving anything too important away. But mostly, we talked about her. She taught me card games that she enjoyed and that were popular nowadays. She told me about the books that she read, a genre that would, as she had put it "surely not interest me." I was bound to believe that she was right, but I still couldn't help but wonder what kind of books that Kate enjoyed. We talked about music, something that I did not have much knowledge of lately. I had wanted to know everything that I could about her.

"It was fine," She answered, shuffling the cards with her small hands. I had honestly never noticed a woman's hands before. Kate's were small and dainty, pale and smooth, long-fingered and narrow. As far as hands went, they were beautiful. She stacked all of the cards and started to deal them. "How was yours?" Her eyes searched my face, as if I would just give her the answer in my expressions.

This was usually how it went. Kate would try to dig any information out of me. It had easily become a sort of unspoken game between the two of us. In truth, I just did not want her to know about me. I did not want her to become too attached to man that could not give her everything she wanted. I knew Kate well enough to know, now, that she would not simply be satisfied with the promise of money and comfort. A woman like Kate would want something much deeper than the superficial things I had already promised her. A woman like Kate wanted love and comfort in a man, and I wasn't sure that I could give that to her.

And I didn't want to disappoint her, so I did not speak about myself. Besides, what I did all day was field arguments with my family, whom she could not know the true identities of just yet. She would surely think that I was a boring person, with nothing to my name. I should have been down in the Underworld, doing my job, but as always when a girl was tested, I gave up six months of my year to make sure that she was comfortable at Eden Manor.

Besides that, I didn't want her to know the darkest parts of the Underworld just yet. Kate was unaware of how things worked. She had no idea that the Underworld housed both the most blissful heaven as well as the fiery depths of purgatory. She had no idea that in the Underworld, the surrounding area was affected by the soul's deepest wishes. She was clueless to the fact that there were many levels of it, including Elysium and the pit where my father, Cronus, had been locked up for hundreds of years. And until she was given the chance to become my queen, a ruler beside me, she would not have to know the darkest parts. I would not tell her unless I was sure that she was ready to handle them.

And so, as I vaguely answered her question and avoided talking about myself as usual, Kate separated the deck of cards, counting them out before looking at the cards in front of her. And we played the game.

# # #

I had decided that the best place to hide from Ava and Ella was the stables, a place on the manor that I did not visit often. It was where Phillip had chosen to spend his days. As Poseidon, God of the oceans, he also had a deep love of horses. The stallions at the stables were completely his to take care of, and I knew he enjoyed every minute of it.

I figured that Phillip would be at the stables, since the only time I ever saw him around the manor was when Walter required him to be there. I sometimes wondered if my brother was trying to avoid everyone else as I was. He spent most of his time in his realm, which was in the deepest pits of the sea. He was considered more of an Olympian than I was because I did not deal with the living world, but sometimes I wondered if I was more aware of our family than he was. I dealt with human souls every day. He sat in his water of salt and brine to pass the time.

As I neared the stables, I heard a familiar voice. I paused outside of the open doors and stepped to the side, out of eyesight. It was ridiculous for me, Hades, god of the Underworld, to be hiding behind a door, but it was exactly what I was doing. I had seen Kate walk around the grounds in her free time outside of her tutoring sessions with Irene. I did not, however, know how attached she was to the stables. Like Phillip, it seemed that Kate had an interest in the four-legged beasts.

I could hear Phillip's gruff voice as he answered one of her questions. I was surprised that Kate was even inside the barn. Phillip's passion for the horses extended to an extreme overprotectiveness of them. Even other gods and goddesses weren't allowed inside the stables, all but me and Phillip. Ava had, on occasion, wanted to see what was so great about them, but Phillip usually refused to let her inside. I had not exactly figured out why, but I knew that it was a great indication of Kate's character that he allowed her to view his precious animals.

"Oh, I don't want to ride them," I heard Kate say. She was always so polite and pleasant. That was probably how she had gotten Phillip to let her inside of the stables in the first place. "They're beautiful, but they're kind of scary." She admitted. I found myself smiling a little bit. Of all the things to be scared of, Kate was afraid of water and horses. Most girls were afraid of things such as spiders or scorpions, or the monsters that were supposed to roam the earth.

Phillip dropped something into a bucket and turned to look at her. "Horses sense fear," He said to her. "They can often read the emotions of their rider. They are beasts, but they are intelligent, and sometimes I've found that they are more pleasant to be around than some of the people I've met."

"I know what you mean," Kate said softly, her voice carrying in the wind to me. Why did she sound so sad? Who had she met in her life that had caused her more trouble than happiness? She was so young, but, as I learned from James, so very alone. She had spent most of her days at her mother's sickbed. Sometimes, when I thought about Diana lying in a coma outside of the walls of the manor, I found myself angered. It was ridiculous for me to feel that way. Diana had chosen an illness that would, in the long run, make Kate stronger and more mature. She had chosen an illness that would allow her to live with her daughter for the years to come. But I could not be pleased that Kate had been faced with so much pain in her years.

After a moment of silence, with only the noises of content horses, I heard Kate ask, "What is that you're doing?"

"I'm grooming them," Phillip answered. He didn't sound annoyed to answer her questions, as some of my family had. In fact, in his own way, he sounded slightly pleased that someone other than himself had taken interest in the horses living in the stables. "They need to be groomed, just like you and me."

"Do you need any help?" She offered. I found myself smiling. Yes, that was the Kate I knew. She was so openly compassionate, willing to help others.

"No offense, but grooming a horse is more complicated than you would think. I would rather that I just do it." After a short pause, he said, "Thank you for the offer."

"No problem," Kate replied. "If you ever do decide that you need the help, though, I'm a pretty fast learner." Phillip grunted in reply. After that, all was silent for a moment. I took the chance to peak into the window nearby.

All fifteen of the manor's horses were in their stalls. Phillip was in one of them, carefully combing a brush over the horse's coat. Next to the horse, he looked like he was just in his element. Phillip had always held a strange regard for animals that none of the other gods had really possessed, except for Ella, who was goddess of the moon and the hunt.

Outside of the stall, Kate stood in a large dress. She looked a little more comfortable in the contraption than she had before, since when I visited her in the evenings she had usually already changed from the dresses Ella had put her in into her nightgown and robe. She leaned against a table which was right underneath the window. A bucket of feed sat down on the table next to a bucket of brushes. Kate was silent for a moment, watching Phillip as he groomed the horse. She seemed… at peace, and that made me feel all the more comfortable. I had promised her that she would not want for anything when she was with me. And I would hold true to that promise.

_Really, Henry. I was expecting better from you. Peering into windows is very creepy, I might add_. Ava's voice weaved through my mind, teasing and light just like it was when she spoke out loud. I pulled away from the window and turned to look at her. She didn't say anything to me, since Kate would probably hear her if she did. _Are you trying to hide from me? Here I am, thinking that you are spending your days in the library like always, and you're stalking Kate_.

_I am not_, I answered indignantly, _stalking Kate. I came down here to speak to Phillip, and she happened to be here._

_Then why not go inside?_ She smirked at me as she thought the words towards me. _Really, Henry, this is kind of pitiful. You are taking the role of a smitten boy without a clue how to get his dream girl's attention._

_I am not. I just do not want to ruin her conversation with Phillip. He actually seems to like her._

Ava gave a soft snort. _He allows her in the stables. It's a miracle, really. I still haven't figured out how she's managed it. Well, don't worry. I've been sent to retrieve her and bring her in for her dinner. You can have your… _conversation_ with Phillip_.

I chose not to answer, instead turning away from her. Ava let out a soft giggle as she went to the doors of the stable. "Kate?" She asked loudly.

"In here," Kate answered. From the corner of the window, I could see her step away from the table, towards the open doors. "Is it time for dinner?" She asked. She didn't sound excited at the prospect of food. Instead, she sounded annoyed. I knew that Kate's days were on a perfect schedule. It had always been easier that way. It gave certain time periods for everything. I figured that she would have liked it, but apparently she wasn't very happy with the order of things. I had no idea if it was something that I fixed, since it was working after all, and she hadn't openly expressed a dislike for it. I didn't think I saw a point in changing things now.

She and Ava left the stables, heading back up the path to the manor. Ava opened the door for Kate to pass through. She paused, still holding the door open, to give me a look. Her eyebrows rose at me and she made a pointed face. I had the feeling that she would start gesturing at me next, but instead she stepped into the manor after Kate.

"Hello, Henry," Phillip said as I stepped towards the open doors. "This girl of yours has turned out to be pretty pleasant," He told me. "She's very… willing to help."

"I know." I patted him on the shoulder and said, "Do you think you might like to teach her how to groom your horses? Just to give her something to do."

"Henry," Phillip said. "As I imagine you heard me tell her, the horses need to be groomed a certain way."

"Then teach her, brother." I answered. "Surely she cannot do too much damage."

Phillip seemed to think about it for a moment, and then he sighed. "Only because I like her." I smiled to myself and turned away from the stables. It was obvious that there wasn't a reason for me to hide out here, since Ava had taken Kate in to lunch. Maybe I would go to the library after all. Predictable couldn't be that bad.

# # #

Irene had already decided how she was going to test Kate. She had told me in total confidence that she had been assigned to test Kate on whether or not she was a sloth. The best way, she had decided, was to give her an _actual_ test, one that matched the ones we gods took as a fun trivia, to see how much Kate studied for it. Irene, goddess of wisdom and Kate's tutor while she was here at the manor, was a never-ending book of knowledge. Irene was the only one that could end up with one hundred percent on the test, and she knew it. But that didn't really matter. It wasn't Kate's score on the test that mattered, it was whether or not she took it under her on discretion to study for it.

I had not expected the reaction we got from Kate when Irene told her that she was having a test on Monday. She skipped dinner one evening to study from our history book – which she consistently called mythology – and skipped her afternoons with Ava and Phillip to keep her nose buried in a book. Irene and I had expected to see her study at random intervals, but instead she kept her eyes glued to the pages as if they were her saviors. She had her meals brought to her, and I had all been exiled from her room. I had the sinking feeling that she was spending her nights with Diana studying as well, since I was aware of the fact that she wasn't sleeping as comfortably as she used to. She had asked Calliope and Ella to wake her up at the same early hour every morning, where she would spend her mornings with Irene going over the material the trivia test would ask her, and then she would lock herself into her room to study.

I was starting to believe that this really was not the best way to approach the test. It was obvious to me, and Irene, that she had passed. She was exhausting herself over this trivia test. I had never seen someone study so hard for a school test, and I could not figure out why. Irene had no clue, either. She only commented that Kate would spend the entire five hours that she was with Irene asking about the finer details of "myths" and flipping through the textbook, asking for clarification on certain characters.

On Sunday, I had decided that she had enough of her studying. She was not immortal, and her studying habits were wearing heavily on her. She would become ill if she did not take a break, and that would not be good for any of us. So, even though she had asked me to stay away until after her test on Monday, I appeared in her room on Sunday evening.

Just as I had expected, she was sitting on the floor next to a low table. The heavy book of my and my family's history was open in front of her. She had taken sheets of paper and marked pages with torn pieces. She had at least twenty of them shoved in between the pages. Her finger skimmed across the lines, left to right, and her lips trembled as she softly spoke the words to herself. I could hear that she was currently working on the story of the Minotaur.

I admired her hard-working nature. I had never seen a god work this hard for something that was important to him. Not even Phillip obsessed over the horses in the stable as much as Kate had been worrying about this test. It was ridiculous. Around the admiration I held for her, there was a hint of worry and deep feeling of sadness. She could not continue to do this. She would wear herself out.

"You're hurting yourself," I said to her. My voice echoed in the nearly silent room.

Kate jumped, her mouth falling into a grim line. She lost her place on the page in front of her. She glanced up at me, her eyes searching my face for just a mere second before she turned back to the page, eyes roving over the letters. "I'm fine," Her voice was garbled and tired, hardly enunciated. It was worse than I thought.

I felt a hint of anger in the pit of my stomach. I admired Kate, yes, but sometimes she was so stubborn that I became extremely frustrated. I let out a deep breath, making sure that I had control over my emotions before stepping up to her. She was so lost in her book that she didn't even notice when I stepped close to her. It had been a long time since I'd been this close to her. I could already feel Kate's warmth, hear the thrumming of her heart as her brain worked in high gear. But other than that, she was pale and obvious a little shaky from whatever panic had been building inside her.

"If I didn't know any better, I would mistake you for one of the dead," I whispered the words softly in her ear, so as not to scare her as I had earlier. Her finger froze on the page, and when I glanced over at her I noticed that she had closed her eyes. Her entire body had gone stiff, but it was still trembling a little bit. I wondered if I still scared her, as she had once said that I did. A slight but distinct shiver traveled down her spine, and I decided that she had enough.

I reached out and closed the book, drawing it away from her. Kate nearly panicked, saying that she still needed to study. I tried my best to explain that the actual test, the one that mattered, she had already passed. This was just a fun trivia test. But that would ruin the test that Irene had set up and they would possibly penalize her for my mistake. So I refrained from mentioning that she had already passed and picked my words carefully, saying that if she did not pass then there was no hope for the rest of us. I had never seen anyone with her dedication in the past, not even Hercules during his tasks.

Within seconds, Ava burst in the room. It appeared that she had decided to have her own intervention, only I had beaten her to it. She gave me a slight smile that I was sure Kate missed, trying to coax her off the floor and to the door. She mentioned Theo, and I was shocked to discover that they had not actually met. I knew Theo was good at his job as a hidden master guard, but I would have imagined that he would let Kate know that he was watching her and that she was safe. After their introduction, Kate sent them on their way, telling them that they still needed to study.

She was ridiculous. Why couldn't she see how much she was hurting herself? I decided to take her to the window and try to instill some wisdom into her. I still wasn't sure what I was going to tell her, I just knew that I needed to get her away from the book on that table and into bed so she could have a good night's rest. Hopefully, she would use her time with Diana to enjoy the time she had left with her mother's mortal body.

I softly pointed out the stars to her, telling her that everything changes. And it was true. Over the millennia, so many things had changed for me. But I was starting to notice a change within myself. Ava had commented on it one evening, and ever since then I could not get over the fact that, perhaps, she was right.

And that evening, I even brought up the time when I met Persephone. And it did not hurt me to think of her. Not one bit.

# # #

I had wanted to wish her good luck on her test, but Ava advised that I leave her be. She was already stressed about it as it was, though I was still unsure why. It was just a trivia test. She had to understand that it was like a test in school. It was just to test how much knowledge she had soaked in since her lessons with Irene began. And, I admitted, it would be interesting to see her score.

I paced inside the library. Kate had been given an infinite number of hours to complete the test, though I knew she wouldn't need very long. There were two hundred questions, and with the way she had studied, she would surely blow through them with ease. I imagined that look on Irene's face when she bested all of the gods but her. There was no way that Kate would miss twenty questions.

I had just decided that I was going to go down to where Kate had her lessons and where her test was being held. If she were still taking it, I would be there after she finished. If she was waiting for Irene to grade it, then I could sit with her and help pass the time, which I had a feeling was going to be nerve-racking for her. I went to open the library doors when I heard the sound of Kate's name being called in the hallway.

I stepped out into the hallway, my eyebrows drawn together. Well, where was she? Had she already gotten her grade back on her test? I started down the hallway, reaching the corner just as Ava came skidding around the corner. I couldn't begin to understand why she didn't just zap herself to me, unless she was in the company of Kate and could not show her powers. I looked down the hallway over her shoulder as Ava took deep breaths, her hand gripping the front of my shirt.

"Ava? What is it? Where's Kate?"

"She took off!" Ava crowed.

For the first time in a long time, I felt fear. It was a heavy stone in the pit of my stomach. Where had Kate gone? Why had she run off? What had happened? I was just about to reach out and grab Ava's shoulders to shake her into explaining what had happened when she gulped a breath of air.

"She just ran off! Irene told her that she made a one-seventy-three on the test, and she just ran down the hall! I think she's headed to the river, Henry." Her eyes were wide with the same fear that I felt. A realization hit me.

Kate was trying to leave. She had to know that if it ever came to the moment where she wanted to leave, she could have just used the front gates. But she would not want to disappoint me or the others, I was sure, and she probably would want a head start to see her mother before I was supposed to take the life of Diana's mortal form. She certainly wasn't going to the river for a swim.

I pried the front of my shirt from Ava's hands and went to find Kate.

**Woo, long chapter. I hope that you guys liked it! This was always one of my favorite chapters, as well as the following chapter, so I guess that's why it's a little long. Anywho, I hoped you enjoyed it.**

**As always, I apologize for spelling/grammatical mistakes. You guys are probably aware of how lazy I am by now. And, since I can't help but ask, I beg of you to leave me a review in the box below. Thanks for reading! Peace (:**


	7. Misunderstanding

**Guest – **_**(Entry One): **_**Aww, thank you so much! You don't know how happy that made me! (: **_**(Entry Two):**_** I'll try to keep all the smiley faces in mind (; and don't worry, there is definitely some Kate-Henry love coming up in the future chapters! **_**(Entry Three):**_** You know, I never would have thought that "shy" would be a word to describe Henry, but you are totally right! Thanks for the review! (:**

**Ggbrownie – I'm glad!**

**Huntress3419 – In case you haven't noticed, I absolutely love cliffhangers. I know, I'm terrible. :P And I'm glad you were excited about the update! Haha, I know I'm always excited to see what is out there when someone updates a story!**

**All The Best People Are Mad – Why, thank you. I like this chapter the best so far, too.**

**DyanneV – This chapter seems to be the favorite of most. I thought maybe that it would be uber creepy if Henry stalked Kate, but what can I say? Besides, I figured he needed to see Kate interacting with some of the others outside of the scenes Aimee Carter gave us. Thanks for the review! (:**

**KC – Thank you! As it seems, writing from Henry's POV has become easier and easier. I just love the guy! Haha (:**

**Aubrey1207 – Thank you! It truly is nice to hear that from someone. Well, obviously this is an update… but I'll be planning to update more regularly with the other upcoming chapters. (:**

**Icy Arrows – I know, I always felt sorry for Kate. She was so panicked about it! Thanks for the review! (:**

**Don't You Know – Thank you! Chapters tend to grow longer for me the more I write. I always try to make sure that there's at least 4,000 words per chapter to keep people satisfied, but some of them go well over 6,000 words.**

**The Goddess Test series belongs to Aimee Carter.**

_7: Misunderstanding_

Where was she? I scanned the grounds for where she could possibly be. She wasn't hidden anywhere in the manor, and she wasn't in the stables with Phillip. I extended my search, running along the riverbank. It was too big of an area to run up and down, and I didn't want to just wait for her at the hedge in case she didn't actually make it that far. So where could she be?

My heart pounded in my chest. I couldn't remember the last time it had been so fast or so hard. I could hear the blood coursing through my veins in my ears, and just the panic of not knowing where she was made my breaths ragged.

Finally, I found her. She was in the woods. I could almost feel her panic, the way she was rushing to get through the trees. I zapped into the woods after her. I could hear her moving around nearby, but I could not see her through the heavy foliage of the surrounding trees. I heard her trip, her breaths quick. I thought I even heard a soft cry, though I couldn't tell if it was a sob of sadness or if it was just from the pain of tripping. I pushed my way through the trees, determined to find her before she crossed outside of Eden Manor.

In all honesty, I was disappointed that she wanted to leave. I had liked her so much. She was so pleasant, so perfect in her beauty and charm. She was compassionate and loving and everything that my family was not, all bundled together in one mortal girl. And despite the deal I had made her, I couldn't make myself just let her go without trying to stop her. I wanted to know _why_. She had proven to be so determined. So why was she abandoning me now?

That was when I identified the bloated feeling in my chest. Abandonment. Depression. It was exactly what I had felt when Persephone had told me that she wanted to be released from the ties of immortality so she could follow her love, Adonis, into the Underworld. She had turned and left me alone, standing on the threshold of the Underworld. And Kate was doing the same thing to me now, running to the first place that she could think of to make her escape.

_No_. She would not leave me so easily. Anger surged through me. She _could not_ just turn and leave without any explanation. Even her sister had given me the benefit of knowing her exact reasons. Kate was just standing up and leaving. Had she finally had enough? Had she been planning this for a long time, and had decided that the time after her test, when everyone was walking on eggshells around her, was the best time to make her grand escape?

I could tell that I was getting closer. I could hear Kate's footfalls on the ground, I could hear her scrabbling through the fallen leaves and tripping over raised branches and rocks. I could hear her breathing hard around her tears. Why was she crying, if escape was what she wanted?

I burst from the edge of the forest. Kate was precariously balanced on a slippery rock. It was the very place that Ava had damaged herself to test Kate. It was the place that I'd first seen her. And I would rather burn in a purgatory that I created for myself than let this be the last place I see her. She gingerly dipped a foot – a _bare_ foot – into the cold water. The river's currents would easily sweep her away if she was not careful.

"Kate." I said. The word hung in the air between us, partly a sigh from me, partly an echo in the area around us. Kate jumped, wobbling on the rock. Her arms flung out as she struggled to keep her balance. I could almost see her falling, plunging into the cold water that would surely kill her. But at the last second, she managed to catch herself.

She didn't even turn to look at me as she told me to leave her alone. It sounded as if she'd tried to make herself sound like a person to be reckoned with, but she just sounded upset. Now that she was speaking, I could really hear the tears in her voice. She had been _crying_, and despite the slight anger I felt towards her for being reckless, I couldn't help but want to swoop in and save her, to hug her to my chest and tell her that everything would be okay.

"I'm afraid I can't do that." I admitted to her. I would not leave her balancing on the edge of that rock, where she would surely injure herself, and I would not just let her walk away. She was allowed to leave, by the definition of our deal, but she could not leave until she told me why. I wanted to know why she did not want to stay any longer. And, if I was being completely honest with myself, I don't think that I could've just let her walk away. She was _special_. The kind of special that I wanted by my side.

She kept both feet on the stone, not even moving. Her eyes remained on the river though, watching the water slide past her. It was beautiful, but right now, it created a danger for her. "I failed," she told me.

I let out a breath. Was she leaving the manor because she did not make at least a 180 on the test? _That_ was what this was all about? My heart's beating subsided for a moment, realizing that maybe she didn't fully intend to leave me. Maybe there was a chance. I bit back the hope that was bubbling inside me, and offered to take her to the gates, if she really needed to leave.

She wobbled on the stone. Her feet were pale and dirty, and I could tell that they were bleeding a little bit, the dark red color sliding down the slippery stone. She would make herself sick if she remained there much longer. Or she would cause infection in her cuts and scrapes. She still did not look at me as she expressed a need to see Diana.

Knowing that I could not force her against her will, knowing that I should not even bother to get close to her, I stepped up to the shore and grabbed her by the waist, pulling her off of the cold stone and away from the water. The moment her feet were off the rock, she started to howl to let her go. I wanted hold her tighter and say that no, I would not let her go. But I did as she asked the moment she had her feet underneath her. I tried to keep a hand on her, but she yanked away from me.

Inside, I tried not to feel hurt over it.

I used the only weapon I had against her – her mother. I knew that it was a low shot. James, if he were here, would be all over me. I could very well imagine him helping Kate across the narrow opening at the hedge, pushing her out of here as fast as he could. I knew that I should've kept my mouth shut and allowed her a decision by herself. It was rational. It was what I _wanted_, right? I wanted her to leave so I could fade into oblivion, so I wouldn't have to deal with my harrowing family or the remnants of Persephone's departure.

So why wasn't I letting her go?

Kate stared at me, her mouth agape. I held back the urge to brush my hand across my face, as if there was something there. She looked like a fish out of water, struggling to breathe. I stood there for a moment, staring at her as she stared at me. Finally, she spoke. "But – but I failed."

I could feel my eyebrows drawing together as my head immediate turned to the side a little, as if that would let me get a better read on her. She was running out of here because she had failed Irene's trivia test? "I am not so strict that I punish failure with death." I replied, hoping that a few lightweight words would help her feel better, and help me understand why she was so bothered by it all.

Finally, she explained. She thought that by failing Irene's test, she was failing me. She thought that the test was one of the tests she was required to pass in order to stay here at the manor, to have her mother alive. And she thought that, since she had failed, she better go to her mother before I heard and retracted my end of the deal. Realization washed over me. I was paralyzed with shock. Why hadn't I seen that before? I had just figured that she knew as well as I did that it was just a test of knowledge, that it had nothing to do with whether or not she would become queen of the Underworld.

I could feel my entire body relaxing. She did not want to leave me, as far as I knew. She just believed that she had failed, and that she needed to leave. In fact, I was so relieved that I wanted to laugh and scoop her up in a hug. But even though I understood the situation now, it was clear in Kate's eyes that she still wasn't aware of why I was stopping her. So I explained it to her – Irene's test was nothing. It was not one of the tests she was required to pass. I let her be privy to a secret – she had already faced three of her seven tests, though only one of them had been completed. She was doing wonderfully, so much better than I could have hoped. I found myself smiling at all of it. Kate was just so amusing in a charming, slightly naïve way.

With all of our problems hashed out, I remembered that she was barefoot. The dress that she was wearing did not protect her from the weather. It was torn and the hem was covered in mud from the bank. Now that she was standing at the spray of the river, she was surely colder than I could ever be. I shrugged out of the coat I was wearing and draped it over her shoulders, barely refraining from buttoning it up for her. Her fingers gripped the edges as she shivered.

Kate's tears, which had been steadily streaming down her face the entire time, were starting to clear up. Her eyes were still red, and I couldn't help but feel empathy for her. I was aware of what she was feeling. She was worried that the only one she truly loved would be taken from her by death, and she would never see her again until she passed through the gates of the Underworld herself. I knew the pain – I was the one to deliver the final vote allowing Persephone to give up her immortality, to step through those very gates that I guarded. And I would not end up seeing her ever again. Fading was not the same as death. I would be lost, without an afterlife to live for.

I carefully wrapped my arms around her. She was dwarfed by my coat, but she was more beautiful than ever. I had to admit that I liked it when she wore my clothing. I refrained from hugging her to me or touching her cheek, which always managed to make her face flame with embarrassment. Instead, I just took her to her bedroom. She needed to change out of her ruined dress, and she would need to have her wounds tended to. I wondered if Theo was already on his way, if he was aware that Kate needed to be healed.

Kate expressed her dislike for her wardrobe, and a plan formed in my mind. We had a closet with all sorts of clothes in it. The most modern, recently updated stock of clothing one would appeal to Kate, I was sure. She disliked the dresses that Ella had put her in, and she was in need of clothes that she could be comfortable in. I turned to leave her to change into a different dress, pausing to tell her something that I was sure would make her smile – "I only scored 164."

# # #

"Certainly not," Ella said, obviously offended.

I fought the urge to roll my eyes at her. "She is not fond of the dresses, Ella. She has worn them for a long time, without complaint –"

"Oh, she's complained." Ella refuted, "_You_ just weren't there to hear it."

"Please, Ella. It is for Kate's comfort. We can tell her that it's for making a higher score than me on the test."

"She made a higher score than you? What was it?" She asked, a smile touching her face. Ella could not stand lost morals or complaints, but she was a fan of wisdom.

"She scored 173," I answered, glad that I had found something that would please Ella. She was sure to keep her comments on Kate's state of mind to herself from now on. I found a smile crossing my face. Ella narrowed her eyes at me, searching my face. As if she found something else there that was usually not present, she gave me a bold grin.

"Fine. She can have access to the other closet. But don't come complaining to me when she tries to wear that hideous combination of denim and a sweater to any ball." I stifled a laugh, and she turned abruptly. I could hear her muttering something about Sofia, but I was unsure what. I didn't linger to find out, either. I wanted to be the one that led Kate to her prize.

# # #

I knocked on Kate's door. She called that it was alright for me to come in. Gingerly, I twisted the knob and pushed open the door. Kate was sitting at the end of the bed, wearing yet another dress, her hands clasped together in her lap. She looked up at me when I stepped into the room, and there was a sadness there that I had not seen before.

"I'm sorry," she blurted as I drew closer to her. I moved to lean against the end of the bed beside her. She turned her face away from me, focusing on the window that overlooked the gardens. I knew that she was embarrassed over the events of today, though she had no reason to be.

"Do not be sorry," I told her quietly. "It was a simple misunderstanding. Once everything was cleaned up, no one was worse for the wear." I fought the urge to reach out and touch her. She either accepted it with a slight bit of ignorance, or she pulled away so quickly that I could feel the burn of her rejection.

"Still. I should have just hung around and gone through the gates instead of doing something stupid, if I really wanted to leave." She said. Her eyes shot up to me, and she added, "But I don't want to leave. I'm here for the test, Henry. _I'm_ not giving up." The way she said it made me take another long look at her. I wondered what she meant by that. Was she insinuating that I was trying to give up? She would be right.

"I know you're not. It's not in your character," I told her. She sat there in silence for a minute, and I offered her my arm. "I have something to show you. I'm sure you'll be pleased by it."

Kate looked up at me momentarily. Theo could not come in to heal her because then she would know that he was not, in fact, a ghost, but something more. She would have to heal the old way, since I was not allowed to heal her, either. It was possible, and it was not as easy for me as it was for Theo (he was the god of medicine, after all) but I could not even offer her my help. I was honestly a little disappointed in my brothers and sisters for barring me from it.

She slid off the edge of the bed, favoring one ankle over the other. By all the times I had heard her fall in her run to the river, I figured that she had injured something. Hopefully it would not pain her too much, or else I might just go back on the council's ruling and heal her. There was no point in making her suffer through the pain.

Together, we walked down the hallway to the room where all of the clothes were stored. She held onto my arm, leaning on me for support as she made her way slowly down the corridor. We didn't talk, choosing to enjoy the other's presence in silence. Or, at least, I enjoyed her presence. I liked the weight of her on my arm, though I knew that she would probably be at least two feet from me if she were fully well. I would take any touch from her that I could get. It was the most contact we'd had since she began her stay here.

Ella joined us at the junction of hallways. I led Kate up to the door, knowing that when she opened it, it would be like a certain heaven to her. She disliked those dresses that Ella had forced her into, and even though Ella was unhappy with the change in her wardrobe, she had agreed that this would be the greatest prize for Kate.

"Open that door," I whispered to her, my lips right at her ear. I was almost sure that I saw a shiver, but then I thought that it was probably just me. Kate glanced up at me, her grip on my arm tightening as she hobbled forward to push open the doorway. She stood in the doorway for a moment, and then she let out a grasp. I explained the reason for bringing her there, and her face lit up in a smile. Who would have known that something as simple as sweaters and jeans would bring her so much happiness?

Ava scooted around the corner. I was slightly shocked to see her, wondering how she had known to be at the closet. Behind her came Calliope, much more calmly. Ava squealed when she caught sight of the closet. I stifled the urge to cover my ears from her high-pitched cries of joy. Ella smirked as she leaned up against the doorway. I could not imagine why Ava was acting in such a fashion, unless she was putting on a show for Kate. Ava knew full well that this closet was here.

Kate offered Ava some of the clothes, and I found myself smiling as I stood behind her. Ava whipped her head around, blonde hair hanging over her shoulder as she gave Kate a surprised look. But she also looked pleased, as well. I still could not wrap my head around the reason why – Ava was allowed to take whatever clothes she wanted, as if she did not have enough already.

I was still trying to decipher Ava's acting when Kate turned to look at me, distracting me. She asked if they were allowed to have some of the clothes. "Of course," I answered. It was here for all of the women. It was where Ella had pulled Kate's dresses from in the first place.

Ava, Calliope, and Ella rushed into the closet, going through the clothes. I could never understand a woman's fascination with clothing. Persephone had been the same way. I had offered her a never-ending supply of dresses to please her. I wasn't sure if she'd actually liked it or not, but I knew that she didn't mind the gifts.

Kate stepped into the closet last. Knowing that she would be planning on replacing nearly all of the dresses in her wardrobe, I walked behind her. Besides, I wanted to make sure that she was okay. I still wasn't sure how bad her ankle was, but she had limped all the way here, and the closet was so large that she would have to walk around to retrieve all of the clothing she wanted.

She turned around, giving me a slight glare and a smile. It quickly turned into a slight frown as she refuted any help. I still offered her my arms as a place to lay the clothes of her choice. Her eyes searched mine for a second, as if she thought that there was another motive behind that. Of course there was, but if she saw it she didn't comment on it, only raising an eyebrow at me as she continued to browse through the clothing.

# # #

It had been months since I'd stopped by what had once been Persephone's bedroom. I drifted into the room and looked at the framed memory. My smile was so broad, but I wondered how honest it was. Persephone had never truly made me smile while she'd been my wife. I had always been disappointed in her. I knew that marriage was just a title to most of my family – especially Walter – but to me and Calliope, it was something to be cherished. I sometimes wondered if that was why she took such an interest in me. But to Persephone, who nearly rivaled Ava in her acts against marriage, it was just a title, something to throw to me when I was angry with her. I could almost hear her voice reminding me, "But, Hades, we're _married_."

I closed my eyes momentarily, an onslaught of memories attacking me. None of them were as perfect as the one that I had created for that frame. I gripped it tightly in my hand, watching the slow, slight movements that made it different from a photograph. Persephone's smile was one that I'd only seen directed at other men, one that I had wished she would direct at me. Her hair had never stayed that color for long, darkening with her mood as the winter wore on. And that smile that was on my face… I had no recollection of it with Persephone.

But with Kate….

I couldn't even begin to assess my thought, much less finish it, because the door burst open. I turned to find James stepping into the room, followed by Ava. James looked angry, like he was just waiting for the moment that he could beat me into oblivion. He was completely tense, glaring at me, his jaw tight. Ava looked just as angry behind him, but it wasn't me that she was directing her anger at. It was James.

"There is no reason for you to be here!" Ava's voice had risen and she put two hands on his chest to push him back away from me. "I recall you saying that you would not be back until it was time to judge, and that's several months away. So _get out_." She demanded, crossing her arms over her chest as she stood in front of me. I reached out to put a hand on her arm, to tell her to calm down, and she whirled around to face me. "Don't you dare tell me to calm down, Hades. _He_ has no reason to be here. He will only cause problems!"

"Stand aside, Ava. Henry and I have something to talk about, and it doesn't include _you_." James took her arm and pulled her from in between us, giving her a push towards the door.

Ava opened her mouth to argue with him – I could already hear the low curses she was planning on directing at him – but I held up a hand to stop her. I met her gaze with mine, trying to tell her that she just needed to take a breather and step away. There was no use in getting into a fight with James when it was clear that he came here to get in a fight with me. Ava stood at the doorway, her hands clenched into fists, her glare shooting between me and James, but it was mostly focused on the back of his head. She turned with a huff, walking with determination down the hallway. James closed the door most of the way behind her.

"I think you know why I'm here," James said. His voice was hard, and I knew that this would not be a conversation that I could easily ignore or make him forget about. He was determined to make a point now, more than he had ever been before. I could feel the anger coming off of him, nearly matching the level of my own on occasion.

"Please, nephew, enlighten me." I replied back, giving him the same hard glare that he was giving me. I would not back down from this fight, because he was right. I knew what he wanted from me. He wanted Kate. He wanted her freedom. He wanted her out of the manor, away from me.

"What you did today was unacceptable. You purposely stopped her from leaving, and that violates the deal that you not only made with her, but with me."

"She was unaware of what she was doing." I replied, determined to keep my head. I would not get into a brawl with him. It would only end in trouble and remorse, and if Kate ever found out, she would be furious. James had, to Ava's disdain, quickly become Kate's best friend when she was still out in the fabricated town of Eden.

"I assure you, she was fully aware of what she was doing. She has a fear of water, Henry. She wasn't going down there for a swim, and not at this time of year, either."

"It was a misunderstanding. She believed that the test Irene gave her, the one that she failed, meant that she was out of the competition. She thought that it meant her mother would die, and I would fade. So she was trying to leave to see her mother one last time."

"You still held her back from leaving. And for that, I'm going to the council and ask them to make this entire ordeal come to an end. You have broken your deal, Kate's services are no longer required, and now you can do what you always wanted to, dear uncle." His last words were sharp, angled just the way that they were supposed to.

We ended up arguing in circles, reiterating everything that we had already said. I explained to him – once again – that Kate was trying to visit her mother before she died, that she was confused, that she was unaware that Irene's test was not one of the seven tests that the council had chosen for her. James continued to say that I had stopped her from leaving, that I had forced her to stay there.

I chose to try to end it by stating a fact. Kate was still here at the manor, and she had not set foot off its grounds. I let him know, still trying to hold back the anger in my voice, that he had no right and no credible reason to go to the council and ask them to destroy the deal. Ava had come to me to find Kate. Ella, Theo, and Xander had no problems with the fact that I had gone to get her. I could not be certain for Calliope or Walter, because James had a way of persuading people, and Calliope had never wanted Kate here to begin with.

But just as quickly as I had turned the conversation, James had turned his point. He brought up Persephone, knowing that I still hated myself over what had happened in between us. I had often wondered if Persephone would have been happy if my choices had been better. If I had not, early on in our relationship, insisted that she stay with me because we were married. If I had not argued with her over her other relations like I did, could she have been happy with me? I could feel my entire body tense up at her name. It was my past, it was my mistakes, and I was to make sure that if Kate passed her tests she would not have to deal with the same things that my first wife had.

James could tell that he'd picked a worthy thing to speak about. He could tell that he nearly had me. He could detect the hint of failure that I felt the moment he brought up the many mistakes that I had made. His voice was lowered from the yelling that we'd both been doing, but I could tell that he was still upset with me, and that he still had every intention of going to the council. Sometimes, James was merciless. His wrath rivaled that of Calliope's.

"Let her go. Persephone didn't love you, and you can't replace her no matter how hard you look. Even if you could, Kate isn't that person." His words cut me like a knife. I didn't need to be reminded that Persephone hadn't loved me. She had never loved me, no matter how much I loved her. And I did not want to hear that I couldn't find someone to take her place in my realm. There was someone out there, I was sure, that could become my queen. I was starting to believe that there was someone out there that could shadow the guilt and the broken love that Persephone had left behind.

I struggled to swallow. I had a moment of realization, right there, in my ex-wife's bedroom, discussing the possibility of my future wife. At the beginning of Kate's six months, I had no hope that she could pass the tests or wipe away the memory of her sister. I did not believe that there was anyone that could make me feel the way Persephone did. And I was right there. Kate made me feel so much more. "She could be," I forced out. James narrowed his eyes at me, and I added, "My sister thinks she is." Diana was so sure that Kate would be _the one_, the one that could replace Persephone not only in my realm but in my heart.

James's face changed dramatically. It went from the careful mask of anger and indifference to a face full of distaste. "My aunt is too blinded by guilt and determination to see the situation clearly." He replied sharply. If we were going to be honest, James had always held a sort of resentment towards Diana when she stood by my side against her daughter. Diana and I were brother and sister, closer to each other than our other siblings. Diana had always seemed to understand my motivations and I hers. She had hoped that her daughter would be a perfect match for me, but we made bad decisions and destroyed any chance of a true relationship before one was even started.

James continued, warning me that there was only a matter of time until Kate was taken by death, just like the eleven girls before her. He warned me not to let her become the twelfth. "Eleven girls are already dead because of you. Don't turn Kate into the twelfth because of your selfishness."

With that, I lost whatever symbolism of calmness that I had managed to hold onto. James thought that he could come into my manor and tell me how to live my life. He thought that he could come to my realm and tell me how to run it. He thought that he could come to me and take away the only girl that had managed to begin erasing Persephone from my mind.

And I would not let him succeed.

Without even thinking, I took a hold of the framed reflection – my falsified memory – and flung it across the room to the slightly opened door. As it flew, I could not even find the regret to be upset about it. Persephone was my past, she was the embodiment of my mistakes, and she had shadowed me for too long. I _would_ work through this. I would not wallow in the pity that had put a blackness on me and made Diana feel the guilt that had led her to create Kate – though I was glad she had. I would not allow James to be right. I knew it would be hard. I knew that there would be moments of weakness, that when facing it instead of pushing it away, there would be moments of depression so deep that they would only drag the others down with me.

I knew it, and for once, I was finally ready to face it.

The frame shattered on the wall by the door. There was a pang, then, of regret. But I reminded myself that this was the very beginning. I reminded myself that there would be plenty of moments when I would want to throw away every chance I had of keeping my position as ruler of the Underworld.

There was a sound that I hadn't expected to hear when the glass hit the wall. It was a gasp, feminine and soft. James, who was shocked that I had thrown the memory in the first place, looked even more surprised than he did before. I could feel surprise shaping my features, as well. It surely couldn't have been Ava. She would have bounded into the room and thrown herself right into the fight, and I had a feeling that any of my other family members would have eventually come in to make sure that things didn't get more dangerous than they needed to be.

That only left one option, and she was the forefront of my mind. James stalked past me and pulled open the door. I felt my stomach drop as I noticed her there. Had she heard everything that was said? Surely she had not missed the last bit, about the dead girls, about Persephone.

As Kate sat there, staring, pale and wide-eyed, at James, I was almost sure that I felt my heart break.

**Yes, this might come as a shocker to some people. Reading the book, I knew that Henry had decided to give Kate a chance at some point around the time that he kissed her. I figured that there was already a bit of him that had fallen for Kate. And I will admit that I was unsure as to when he decided to let himself fall. All I knew was that when he did, he would have to come to terms that he and Persephone were over. Hence the above chapter.**

**No, I am not saying that Henry is aware of his love for Kate. No, I am not saying that he is completely over Persephone. I am not saying that he doesn't feel love for his first wife anymore. All I am saying is that he is well aware that their relationship was darkly twisted, and that it is about time he tries to push past it. I hope that it makes sense to everyone. I'm sure that we all have an example of a time when we realized that something was not working and we decided not to dwell on it any longer. And if you do, you know that sometimes it is not easily pushed behind you. You need to work past your feelings. Henry's words in this last chapter are just a statement – **_**I will work through this.**_

**Now that my rant explaining the turn of events is over, I will, as always, apologize for grammatical/spelling errors. I ask you to take a few seconds of your day to leave me a quick review with your comments and criticism in the box below. I also want to thank all of you for taking the time to read this and give your continued support.**

**Peace be with you all. (:**


	8. Epiphanies

**DyanneV – Why, thank you! Truly, that is great praise. I am thoroughly pleased that it lived up to what you always imagined. And you're **_**so**_** right. If Henry and Kate could stop dancing around their emotions and just **_**tell**_** each other exactly what they were thinking, then a huge chunk of the second book would have to be removed! Haha! Thanks for the faithful review! (:**

**Huntress3419 – Oh, good, that was exactly what I was hoping people would pick up from the chapter. No, he certainly isn't over Persephone, though I wonder if he was ever really truly **_**in love**_** with her in the first place.**

**Guest – (1)Cheesy is certainly awesome! (2) Thank you so much! I know I haven't updated in a while; I was blindsided by another fanfiction and have been working tirelessly on it.**

**KC – Thanks for the faithful review! I'm glad you're enjoying it!**

**eckenner15 – Wow, truly, I feel awesome after reading that comment. It pushes me to continue to write. For that, I thank you. (:**

**ReyaP30 – That really is a great compliment. Thank you so much! (:**

**BLeeDiNg PuRpLe – Sorry! This has taken a crazy long time, and for that I sincerely apologize.**

**Don't You Know – Thanks! I was worried about the timing of things, but I'm glad it's working out and making sense. Thank you for the review! (:**

**Allyson Winters – Really? I couldn't tell. But I think in **_**The Goddess Legacy**_**, her eyes are described as blue. But thank you so much for taking the time to figure that out! (:**

**Kamishoe – I'm glad this is how you imagined Henry! It does my heart good to hear that. (:**

**megan – Thanks! Aimee Carter certainly created characters that I love to write about, that's for sure.**

**megan p123 – I had no idea that **_**The Goddess Legacy**_** was out. I went to read it right away, lol. Thanks for the clarification on her eye color! (:**

** . – Updating right this moment!**

**mrpuppy – Thank you so much! (:**

**DisneyPrincess55 – Thank you! It really is hard, since we have no idea what Aimee Carter was imagining for Henry. In my own personal writings, I have characters that have back stories and are off doing something that the readers don't see, so I get the open-endedness of it all. Hopefully I do the series some justice. (:**

**IRead2Much4eva – I got sidetracked by another fanfiction, and with classes starting up soon, I haven't been spending too much time on any of my other fanfictions. I will definitely keep writing until this is over, have no fear! (:**

**NOTE: I've recently read **_**The Goddess Legacy**_**, which is a collection of novellas of the love lives of Calliope, Ava, James, Henry, and Persephone. Some things that I have written don't coincide with **_**TGL**_**, but I'm going to plow on, with spoilers here and there. If you haven't read it, you'll probably just be a little confused at a sentence or two. But I suggest you read it if you want the backstory. If not, don't worry about it, or PM me if you are deeply bothered by the sentences that don't make sense. Thanks for reading! (:**

**The Goddess Test series belongs to Aimee Carter.**

_8: Epiphanies_

Kate was horrified. I, myself, was horrified. I knew that James and Kate were close friends, and I knew that Kate held honesty high on her list of priorities. If she was to find that James had lied to her – and the others, as she would if she made it to the end of the competition – she would be devastated. She was already aware of the fact that I only told her half-truths, hiding the deepest information from her. I didn't want to tell her what James was doing in my manor, but now the choice was up to him, and James would do anything he wanted. He was unpredictable when it came to things that he was passionate about. I knew that first hand.

I was aware of the fact that James was already saying something to her, but I was so caught up in the worry that his presence alone would upset Kate that I didn't really listen to what he was saying. I just stepped forward, pushing James out of the way. I didn't want him to be closer to Kate than he had to. I told myself that it was just because I didn't want him swaying her in any way, but in reality I didn't want him to touch her because _I_ was the only man allowed close to her.

Kate looked like she was panicking. I had the feeling that I might have been able to hear her heartbeat in her chest, beating so hard that she was nearing heart attack levels. Her skin had gone pale and she looked like she'd seen a ghost. When she spoke, her words stuck in her throat. Her beautiful blue-green eyes focused in on me as she spoke, and I couldn't help but feel a slight burst of pleasure that she was paying attention to me and not James. "What's going on? Tell me."

I winced. This was something that I didn't want her to know. I wanted to keep her in the dark, where she was safe from my delusional family and the dangers that came of being in this household. I would do _anything_ to keep her safe. At first, it was because she was Diana's daughter, but now… I wasn't so sure. I told her that it might be a conversation that was best taken inside, where she could get off the floor and I could better gauge her reaction. Judging by this morning, she was somewhat of a flight risk. I wanted to be able to stop her if she decided to get up and bolt, regardless of whatever James said.

Kate nodded, and I could feel a little bit of tension leave my body. Reaching down to help her, I scooped her up and to her feet. I would have rather just carried her into the room myself to keep her off her ankle, but I knew that she was an independent woman and wouldn't want me carrying her around like she was a damsel in distress. Setting her gently to her feet, I kept my arm around her until I was sure that she was balanced on her own. But she still kept a hand on me as she hobbled into Persephone's bedroom.

Kate's eyes roved over the room, taking in everything she saw. It wasn't dusty – Sofia, the gentle soul, had taken the time to make sure that it was still cleaned up. I knew that she was just feeding my desire to pretend that Persephone really was here, that she was coming back to me. I found myself thinking about telling her not to bother with the room. Let it collect dust, the way old memories do. Kate was so enraptured with the room that she nearly stepped on the broken glass that was the remnants of my memory. Of course, she wasn't wearing shoes again. I pulled her closer to me, her feet stepping around it. She paused to look at it, and I did my best to ignore it.

I knew the moment I decided to move on that it would be hard. I knew that letting go would not be easy. It wasn't my way. I did things until they were complete. I was _not_ someone that could let something go so easily. But I would rather die than regress into a state that would only upset Kate more.

"Who's that?" Kate asked me. Her voice was soft and, truthfully, it sounded like she'd been hurt. I glanced down at it, unable to hide the burst of emotion. The frame was bent and broken, probably from the impact on the wall. Glass shattered around it, and in the middle was Persephone and I. I looked away from the photographed memory and continued to lead Kate to what had once been Persephone's bed.

Setting her down on the edge, I avoided her gaze. Kate had managed to warm her way into the very essence of who I was. I didn't know how, and I didn't know how much I cared for her yet, but she was quickly becoming more than just the girl that was facing the tests. How could I not grow to care for her, when she was as compassionate and warm and friendly as she was? And, with her sitting across from me and the memory of Persephone on the floor, I couldn't make myself look her in the eye. "Persephone," I told her quietly. I was thoroughly disappointed in myself to hear how broken I sounded. I had intended to sound strong and aloof. Perhaps letting her go was going to be harder than I had imagined. "A very long time ago."

Kate mentioned cameras as I stood up to retrieve it. Pain gathered in my chest as I bent down to pick it up, correcting Kate on her camera statement. It was not taken with a camera. It was a figment of my imagination. But I could not tell her that. Handing it to her, I was aware of the fact that I felt sicker than I ever had before. Kate took the reflection from me, and I dropped my hands to my sides, determined to keep on a mask of disinterest.

"She's beautiful," Kate said softly, and I felt my chest tighten. Of course Persephone had been beautiful. But the way she said it made me think that Kate didn't think she was very pretty. Kate's outer beauty rivaled that of Persephone's in a different way. Besides that, her inner beauty was much stronger, a blazing sun compared to her sister's gentle flame. "I'm sorry." She added.

There was again, giving me apologies for something that was not her fault, something that she had not even been around to witness. A little bit of the icy coldness that had wrapped its fingers around me let go, and I was able to wave a hand at her. She passed the reflection to me, and I took it in my hands. I knew that I should have just let it stay that way, broken and mangled, but I could not help myself. With a gentle swipe of my hand, it was back to the way it had been. Perfect. Perfect, and fake.

James cleared his throat on the other side of the room. I set the reflection down on the nearby table and turned to glare at my nephew. To my surprise and amusement, Kate did the same, narrowing her eyes at him like he had personally offended her by gaining our attention. As James started to close the door, I could see Ava out in the hallway. And things fell into place. Kate would not have made it to this room on her own. Ava had led her here. Ava had known that James was in here yelling at me for keeping Kate here, and she had gone to diffuse the situation by bringing the girl in question to my late wife's bedroom. A burst of anger shot through me when I saw the goddess of love there, as if she had a right to be in the hallway, listening in on the conversation, doing her best to interrupt.

Kate asked James why he was here, and I couldn't help it – I told her. I told her that he was the one that would take over my realm if she was to fail and I was to fade. Kate's expression changed drastically. I hadn't even expected it. I had thought that she would be angry and hurt, but she looked more like she was utterly disgusted. Was it so wrong for me to feel a burst of pride at that?

If I had been surprised at her disgust, I was blown away by what happened next. Kate stared at James, and then she _accused_ him of working against me. Her points made sense. I knew that James would remind Kate that she didn't have to come to Eden Manor. Ava had told me that he had tried his best to make me sound like some sort of devil to the world. So it wasn't surprising to hear that he had tried to stop Kate. And she seemed a little angry, too, and she and James argued about her reasons for being here.

James made the slip-up, saying _we_ instead of _I_. I just said his name in warning out loud, but in my head, I was a lot more direct. _Don't you dare mention the council, Hermes. They wanted to stay under Kate's radar, and you are not helping_.

He shot me a glare and said, "I don't care if she knows."

"The others will," I said, but I didn't step forward to lead him out of the room or physically make him be quiet. I had always held some sort of hatred for James, which was not very god-like, but I couldn't help it. He was the one that had relations with Persephone after our marriage. He had always been after my wife – first Persephone, and then the girls that were taking the tests. He had never forgiven me for taking that English girl and keeping him from seeing her. I had never forgiven him, truly, for talking Persephone into dying. The two of us were constantly at an impasse, and it didn't help to come to this point in front of Kate.

James ignored me and took a step towards Kate. I bit back the urge to draw her closer to me, making it well-known that Kate was under my protection. But I didn't, because I wasn't sure how she would react to that. She was, after all, a woman of the twenty-first century. And she was making it clear that she had an opinion and that she was going to make it known. I dropped my gaze from the two of them. Kate was angry because she felt James had crossed a line. James was angry because Kate wasn't doing as he wanted – leaving.

As she spoke to him, I noticed that she hobbled forward a little bit but didn't make it far before stopping. Her ankle was looking swollen, and I knew that it had to hurt. I wished that they would just let me heal it for her. Theo had to keep up the pretenses of being a dead guard, so he couldn't help her. I had been the only one here that Kate had known was a god, but now that status was marred by James. If he was breaking the rules for his own gain, then I could break the rules for her. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, focusing my healing touch on her. I was nowhere near Theo's expertise at it, but we could all heal mortals to some extent. A swollen ankle should be no problem for me.

The moment I had figured that it was healed, I bent forward to touch her, wrapping my fingers around her slim ankle. I tried to ignore the fact that when I did touch her, I felt a string of warmth that invaded my senses, warming me all the way through. As gently as I could, I rotated the joint, making sure she had the full range of movement without any pain. "Does this hurt?" I asked, interrupting her and James. Kate just shook her head, her eyes wide as she stared down at me, probably wondering why I'd let her walk on it when I could have just healed it before. She wiggled her toes. She started to ask me how I'd done it, and I shrugged – there was no way to explain it, really, I just _did_ it – but we were both cut off my James.

He was accusing me, now. "You're not supposed to heal her."

I didn't want James to be in my manor. In fact, I wanted to throw him out of it and let him stay out there, away from the rest of us, for all eternity. I wanted to display that I was more powerful than he would ever be, even if he took my realm. I was one of the original six, god of the underworld, and he was merely a nephew, a god of thieves. He could not hold a candle to me. I took a deep breath and wiped my face from all emotion. I would not give him the pleasure of seeing me riled up from his presence. I wanted him to know that I was not bothered in the least by him, that I trusted Kate to do what she wanted, and that he could not hold anything over my head. But I couldn't help but shoot off that he was breaking the rules that the council probably would not appreciate, and ended it with, a brisk, "Excuse me." With that, I fled out of the room without a second glance at Kate or James.

Letting the door close behind me, I noticed Ava still standing in the hall, listening in on the conversation. My anger, everything that I had held back from being seen, seemed to explode. I had always had a quick temper, but with my age I had learned to hold it back and channel it into something productive; namely my work in the Underworld. But for now, I was up here, and unless I wanted to make a grand escape down to my black diamond throne to sit before a thousand hopeless, confused souls, I was stuck without anything to keep my mind off of it. Ava could see it, her eyes growing wide as she watched me stalk towards her.

I hated letting my anger out on anybody that did not deserve it. Ava had done relatively nothing to earn what I was dishing out. The two of us had quickly become friends after Persephone chose Adonis. I do believe that, at some point, she did it just because I had once belonged to Persephone, and Ava couldn't stand her. It was a way of getting back at the two of them, but she'd managed to heal a part of me. Ava had always called Walter "Daddy," but one look in her eyes could tell you that she was one of the oldest ones here. She may not have been one of the original six, but she had wisdom beyond her years. I still didn't know if Walter knew about the fact that she was sharper than a tack, probably wiser than he was. But she was gracious, and she knew emotions. She was the goddess of love, after all, and she'd had her own stint with the confusing world of finding your opposite, the one destined to be yours and yours forever.

"Henry," she began, feigning her innocence.

"Don't say another word." I commanded. Without meaning to, I'd used a more godly voice. If I was in the Underworld, it would have shaken the very foundation of the world, making the souls fear that a different sort of end was coming for them. You did not anger the god of the dead, after all. "How could you do that, Aphrodite?" I hissed. I knew, deep down, that I should have kept my mouth shut when it came to her ancient name. If Kate heard, she would be absolutely furious. Her first two friends here had been James and Ava, and by the way things were going in Persephone's bedroom, James had been digging his own grave, figuratively, of course. "How could you bring her here, knowing that it would uncover James's identity? She's _furious_, Ava."

Her eyes searched mine, her expression going from hard-edged innocence to understanding. She had to have been knowing what she was doing when she ran for Kate, but apparently she saw something in me that had changed her mind. I could have sworn that there was a retort resting on the very tip of her tongue. But instead, she just softly said, "I didn't want to upset her, Henry, really. But James was stepping out of his boundaries and threatening to destroy all of this. Would you have rather had her feel a little anger and hatred towards James, or would you rather have her leave?"

I opened my mouth to tell her that I would have rather had her leave, since it would let me fade, just like I had wanted to for over a century, now. But the words caught in my throat. I had fought, so hard, to keep Kate here. If I would have let her leave, her mind would have been wiped and I would have gotten what I always wanted. But without a second thought, I'd gone after her. She had, very easily, become a part of my daily life and something that I was not willing to see go.

A small smile touched Ava's lips, and she murmured, "It's okay to let yourself feel something besides regret and anger, Henry. I've been telling you that for how long now? You should really listen to me more often." Her tiny, barely-there smile grew into a know-it-all grin. She stepped forward and put her arms around me. A hug between family members wasn't very common. But Ava had always been willing to share the love – it was the way she functioned, after all – and though it was slightly awkward, it was warm. As she hugged me, she said, "I know you're upset with me for bringing her there, but it was the only way for me to really diffuse the situation without having you and James going at it. Besides, he needed to be put in his place, and who better to do that than a woman scorned?" She let out a slight chuckle and pulled away, patting my cheek with her hand, "Change is coming, Henry. And if I do say so myself, it has been too long coming. Give yourself the benefit of the doubt, stop holding your past mistakes over your head, and forget about _her_. She's not here anymore, Henry, and she doesn't need to delegate how you're living your life. Now, man up and go get your woman."

Right as she said the words, James threw open Persephone's bedroom door. He let it close behind him, spying Ava and me in the hall. He shook his head, spitting, "This isn't over yet," before disappearing. I looked at the space where he had gone, and shook my head.

"Make sure Kate returns to her room safely." I told Ava, before turning around and disappearing, ending up in my library. The books had never disappointed me, had never fought with me, had never tried to put in their two cents on my life. With a heavy sigh, I sat back in my chair, looked at the pile of books in front of me, and wished, not for the first time, that things would just end. But this time, it wasn't my life that I wished to end. It was the hold Persephone had over me. Ava was right. Change was coming, and there was no way to stop it. But I wasn't willing to stop it, not this time.

# # #

"Kate lost a friend today, and it is all because of me." I told her, staring at my boots propped on the chair's ottoman. Ava perched on the edge of the table, sitting virtually silent. I knew that it was hard for her to stay calm like that. She had always been a bubbly character, but she knew when I didn't want to hear her easy excitement.

"I think it's more like it's his fault. He could have just said that he came looking for her, and that you captured him roaming the grounds and was wondering who he was. Then he could have left at the end of the night after making sure that she was still living and she would have been just fine. But no, he was the one that said he was a member of the council. It's his fault."

"I said he was the one that was going to take over the Underworld from me." I said, disputing her answer. I was going to stand up and take a hold of my own responsibilities, despite the fact that Ava believed I should let James take the blame for it all.

"Well he was the one that came in here unannounced trying to pick a fight." Ava replied pointedly.

Determined to change the subject, I pinched the bridge of my nose. "I don't know how to apologize to her. Simply saying that I am sorry would not be enough."

Ava must have known that I was purposely changing the subject, but she didn't say anything as she picked up one of the books sitting on the table. Sophia made it her own duty to clean the manor while she was here. As the goddess of the hearth and the home, she was determined to keep this place warm and welcoming, and if that meant spending every moment of her day dusting old books and abandoned bedrooms, then she would do it. She was one of the original six, but she did not hold it above the others' heads like the rest of us did. She was warm and loving, the only one that would, on any given day, be able to pass the test that Calliope had created so many centuries ago.

Ava flipped through the old, yellowed pages and said, "Get her a gift. Nicholas always gets me something when we get into scuffles. But we don't get into scuffles all that often." She shrugged. "Sometimes he gets me something just to let me know he loves me." Her eyes darted to me over the book, a sly smile crossing over her face. I pretended that I didn't see it. I was getting tired of her innuendos, no matter how innocent they seemed.

"A gift," I echoed, glancing over my walls filled with books. "Like what?"

"I don't know. Nicholas gives me jewelry," she offered, "and sometimes he gets me flowers or pretty dresses or something rare. Sometimes he goes down to my island and gets something from the nymphs to give me." She shrugged, her eyes looking at me. She snorted and said, "You better not be looking at those books. Kate isn't going to want a _book_."

"Well, I don't believe that Kate wants clothes or jewelry, either." I said, warming up to the idea. Kate deserved a gift.

"And she doesn't really seem like a flower sort of person, just saying," Ava mused out loud. "So what does she like?"

I thought about the way she'd looked at Cerberus when I'd introduced the two of them. At one point, I'd seen Kate when she was just a girl. Cerberus had ruined the picnic that she and Diana had had to celebrate her birthday. Despite the fact that my dog had ruined her birthday picnic, Kate had loved the Great Dane. "A puppy," I said suddenly.

Ava froze for a moment. "A puppy?" She echoed, her eyebrows drawing together.

"Yes, a puppy. A boy," I added. "Cerberus could use a friend."

"I thought this was for Kate." Ava said, smiling widely.

"It is for Kate. She needs a friend to replace the one I lost her."

"Right. I'll go find a puppy for her. He'll be adorable; she'll love _him_." The way she said _him_ made me nervous, as if she wasn't speaking to me about a dog. There was something hidden in the way she said that, but I didn't have the time to think about it.

# # #

The puppy was black and white, its dark brown eyes like liquid when it blinked up at me. Ava had been right; the dog was fairly adorable. I knew that Kate would love it. Standing in the hallway, I knocked on her door as the dog squirmed in my arms. "Hush," I said quietly to it, and it did as I said, falling silent and still. Kate didn't answer my knock. I couldn't help but wonder if she was asleep – the hour was early, after all.

Thinking that I would check on her, I opened the door quietly and softly closed it behind me. Kate's form was on the bed, the curtains pulled back. Her breathing wasn't deep and even. "Kate?" I asked quietly. I noticed her barely respond to me. She wasn't asleep. She was wide awake, staring out the window in her bedroom. "I'm sorry." I said. "You shouldn't have seen that."

"I'm glad I did." She replied, her voice equally as soft and quiet. I asked why, and she refused to answer me. She just continued to stare out the window, as if the stars and the moon would tell her exactly what she needed to know. I knew what it was like to feel that. Of course, in my world, there weren't stars for me to look at, just the crystals stuck into the rock of the Underworld. I sighed, taking a seat on the empty side of the mattress. It bowed beneath my weight, and Kate took a slightly shaky breath. She asked me why I hadn't told her about James's involvement in all of us this. I told her because I hadn't wanted to hurt her feelings.

Kate divulged that she wasn't as bothered by the fact that James was a god, but it was more because nobody trusted her. I looked down at the dog in my arms, its fur clinging to my black shirt. I explained that there were just things that I couldn't tell her, not yet. I put a hand on her arm, and she gave a low shiver. I pulled away for a moment, only to brush the back of my hand over her smooth cheek. She didn't flinch, she didn't shiver, she just lay there, staring at the window.

Kate dove into a discussion that I wasn't ready to have yet. Persephone. It almost felt like Kate was hammering on my heart, hoping that she would destroy it completely. She explained to me that she was not Persephone, that she was nobody to me. Her confession astounded me. How could she, sweet, compassionate, warm Katherine Winters, be nobody to me? I was surprised at the conviction in my own voice when I told her that she was not _nobody_ to me. I was trying to figure out a way to say that she was _everything_ to me. I was still here, doing this, for her. She cut me off, telling me that if I looked at her like she was my first wife's replacement and nothing more, she would refuse to spend an eternity with me. She would get up and leave, walk away.

I sat there for a moment, staring down at the small puppy in my arms. He had, surprisingly, managed to stay silent and still while Kate and I had been talking. I didn't think she was aware of the fact that there was another living creature in the room besides her. With a covered deep breath, I said, "I brought you a present."

"That isn't an answer," she said, her head turning towards me just a little bit. I had the feeling that she'd been doing her best not to look at me. It hurt, but at least now I knew that she was purposely doing it to make a point. She _wanted_ to look at me, just like I wanted to look at her.

"Yes, it is," I said, grinning to myself as the dog squirmed a little. "I would not have brought you something like this if I did not want you to stay?"

As I turned to place the dog on the bed, Kate asked me what kind of present it was. I couldn't hide the smile on my face and in my voice as I told her that if she would just roll over, she would see. But the dog had already made his way merrily over the mattress, like he was just as drawn to Kate as I was. Pressing his nose against her shoulder, she rolled over and came face to face with the black and white bundle of fur.

I promised to her to that I would tell her everything that she needed to know when it came to the right time. Before that, it was out of my hands. She was to stay in the dark, not only for her safety but because it was what the council wished. I began to tell her that I brought the gift to her because I expected to be spending a lot of time with her. Last second, I changed it to hope. Kate gave me a look that said she was unsure of what I meant. _I_ was unsure of what I meant.

Expect. I'd spent a lot of time expecting to spend time with Kate. It was decreed by the council that I was to spend time with her. But I'd also said _hope_. I had been so sure that my hope was gone, that it had disappeared. But I part of it had been coming back with Kate. _She_ gave me hope, her alone.

Kate changed the subject for a second to the dog, which I greatly appreciated. As I was getting up to leave though, she asked me one thing. It was more like she was begging me. "Please don't give up."

I paused, my back to her, and pinched the bridge of my nose. "I will try."

"Please just – give me a chance." She said.

The sound of her voice, begging me to look at her like she was _her_ and not a second chance at Persephone, broke my heart a little more. Had I really been that inattentive to her? My days were so filled with her, how she was, how she acted, the hope and happiness that she exuded. Had that just been me? Had she not seen it?

"Of course," I said, opening the door. A sliver of light slid into the room. "Sleep well." She looked down at the dog for a second, and I took the chance to escape, slipping out into the hallway and closing the door behind me just as softly as I opened it.

Kate had asked me to give her a chance. I had thought, all this time, that I _was_ giving her a chance. Dropping my head, I returned to my own bedroom, staring at the wardrobe and the window, where Kate had been staring. Out into the moon and the stars. She had chosen to tell me that she needed me to step up and fight for this at the same time that I'd decided that I needed to fight against Persephone's hold against me. I had wondered, briefly, if it was a coincidence. But Ava had told me that change was coming, that it was long overdue.

I would give Kate a chance. I would give her a fighting chance. I would not back down, not for any reason at all. Because if Kate deserved my hope. And if it was the last thing I would do, I would give it to her. But first, I would need to get rid of Persephone. Only after that could I give my full attention to Katherine Winters.

**I know this chapter was crazily long overdue, but I hoped you guys enjoyed it. Be looking forward to the next chapter, because it's Christmas! Yay! (:**

**Once again, sorry for the long wait. And since I want to go ahead and get this chapter out there, sorry for the grammatical/spelling mistakes, because I'm lazy and didn't take the time to reread it. Thank you all for your continued support in reading, and I ask that you take a few seconds to live me a review in the box below. Peace (:**


	9. Christmas

**Huntress3419 – Aww, yay! I'm glad it stood up to your expectations. And hopefully you're right! It's only been two days since I last uploaded that I'm starting this, but we will have to see how long it takes me to write and upload. Hopefully it won't be too long!**

**KC – I, too, believed that Henry was still disinterested in her. But it became a little clearer after a few more chapters, and the other books, that he really did care about her. I figured that it was about time that Henry showed how much he cared about her. As for James and Henry, I thought that they would have put the past behind them and moved forward, but after reading **_**The Goddess Legacy**_**, I've decided that the two of them have some hidden frustrations with each other that have lasted lifetimes. Hopefully I'll figure out how to prove that a little more. (:**

**IRead2Much4eva – Thank you! I particularly love the behind-the-scenes scenes myself. I wasn't planning on it, but Ava has become a starring character in my version of Henry's story. She's just so loveable. (:**

**mrpuppy – Disappointment does not even begin to cover how I felt about the lack of Henry's POV in **_**Legacy**_**. All the others got first-person stories, and Henry's third-person version was lacking for me. I'll be honest: while I thought that **_**Legacy**_** was a worthwhile read that helped give the characters more definition (I actually felt sorry for Calliope for a fraction of a second, there) I would have rather checked it out from the library than spend my last remaining $8.00 in gift cards for it. I'm pleased that you're enjoying it. While I have found that my spelling/grammatical errors get under my skin, I'm glad that they don't take too much away from the story (it is an unedited version, anyway. I'm too lazy to read it over. Haha!)**

**Allyson Winters – Really, thank you. You don't know how glad I am to hear it! (:**

**megan p123 – Lol, I figured, for a moment, that maybe the two reviews were from the same person, but I ultimately decided that it was maybe two different people. In that regard, welcome to the fanfiction community! (: And thank you so, so much for your review. It really does my heart good. (:**

**SSMLFob20 – Thank you! Henry has easily become one of my favorite characters (I watched Percy Jackson & The Lightning Thief the other day and sat there, looking at Hades, and thinking, that's **_**nothing**_** like Henry, despite the fact that I knew that they were two completely different characters.) And I'm glad you like the long chapters, because lately they've been straying from my shorter chapters and becoming even longer. Sigh. (:**

**Don't you know – Thanks (: That **_**really**_** makes me feel good about my writing! **

**Eve – Thank you! And I'm updating! (:**

**As The Robin Flies – Thank you so much. It really means a lot. (:**

**klaualice – I'm continuing, no worries there! (;**

**The Goddess Test Series belongs to Aimee Carter.**

_9: Christmas_

Before I could give Kate the chance she deserved, I needed to get rid of the heavy cloud hanging over my head that was Persephone. Now that I looked back, I could see that she had always been there in some way or another. She had always been what kept me a healthy distance away from the previous eleven girls that had faced the tests. I knew that in voting for her to become mortal, I would lose a piece of myself to her eternally, even though she didn't want it. But now there was someone here, someone who _wanted_ my heart, I was sure, and I was determined to give her all of it. I would have to retrieve that piece from Persephone back.

It didn't help that as the days passed, we got closer to Christmas. None of the girls had ever made it past Christmas before. And I couldn't bear the thought of Kate, lying dead and cold, on a day that was supposed to be celebratory. Kate deserved more than that, eternal life in her Underworld. I had debated on whether or not to take her down there to see what it would be like, should so fail. Should she die. But I had ultimately decided against it, believing that it would be much too hard for her. She believed that her mother was going to be there soon, in that world of cold stone and illusions.

My evenings with Kate were no longer easy by any standards. I was always looking over my shoulder, watching her back, hoping that whoever was doing this, sabotaging me and the girls, wasn't watching from the shadows. I had always held onto the notion that I would know if someone unauthorized entered my manor. But whatever was inside me hadn't recognized the threat the first eleven times, and this time I wasn't willing to risk Kate, the twelfth girl.

I was fully aware of the fact that I was pulling away from Kate. At this point, Ava had told me, I was supposed to be trying to woo her, trying to tell her how much she meant to me. I honestly wasn't even sure what I felt for her – I'd never had emotions so jumbled like this before. I knew what love was, I had felt it passionately for Persephone. I knew what hatred was, because James and my brother, Walter, often brought out the worst in me. I knew what embarrassment and annoyance were, I knew what it felt like to be sad, alone, and betrayed. I even knew what it felt like to be jealous. But this… this was something new altogether, something that I could not put a name to. Something… something indescribable, unspeakable, secretive, and _mine_.

Ava wasn't the only one to see it, though she was the only one to point it out to me as smugly as she could. Sofia's looks were softer, less concerned. Irene smiled at me every single time we spoke or passed each other in the hallways. Phillip gave me a nod, and there was a twinkle in his eye that the rest of us only saw when he was at the sea. Even Ella, who still harbored anger towards me on most days, seemed to be warming up to Kate and giving me sly, knowing smiles.

"You're a piece of work, you know that? I've never seen two people so completely confused in my entire existence. And for your information, that is a very _long_ time, even though I don't look half my age." Ava said, perching on the table in the library. She moved between her seat there, between stacks of books, and the window seat where she looked out the window, perhaps thinking about her own problems. Even after thousands of years, my nephews were still fighting over Ava's attention. There was a part of me, I admitted, that thought a little badly of her for stringing them all along like she did. But I'd once sat with Nicholas, whom Ava loved dearly, and he'd told me some of his deepest thoughts – the way he knew Ava was a free lover, that she couldn't be tied down to any one single man. Even though she had a son with Dylan, she spent her time rotating between him (who wasn't staying in the manor, for fear of uncovering his secret identity to Kate), Theo, Xander, and Nicholas.

"You're one to speak about confusion," I replied dully, turning the page of my book. I'd gotten used to her constant presence. It wasn't often that I spent time here on earth. My time in Olympus was rare, and most of the time I avoided it at all costs. There was too much squabbling going on there between my brothers, sisters, nieces, and nephews. Besides, their problems concerned the living, and I was god of the dead. There were often hundreds of years between our meetings. But these months here, with all of them, were stressful and relaxing at the same time. But most of the time, it was the former.

Ava huffed and shifted, knocking over an entire pile of old books. They weren't as old as me, but as far as book standards went, they were ancient. She looked at them for a long moment, eyes trailing over the dust they expounded from their pages. But she didn't move to pick them up. Even though I wanted to pick them up myself and place them back on their table, I remained seated in my chair, book open in front of me. "All I'm trying to do is to give you some helpful advice. And what do you do? You shoot me down. Sometimes I really do think you have mood swings, Henry. It's unhealthy, you know that? Mortals have names for that. It's a psychological disease." I could feel her narrowed eyes on me.

"I've been thinking about visiting Persephone." I said. The moment the words were out of my mouth, I paused. Where had they come from? For the past few days, they'd only been a mere suggestion bumping around inside my skull. I'd told her, once, that I would visit her. But I never had. It just felt too wrong to travel down to the Underworld in order to visit my ex-wife and her lover. It seemed like a certain type of torture that I didn't need to subject myself to.

Ava gasped loudly, sounding absolutely horrified. "That's the worst idea you've had yet. That's almost as bad as saying that you want to fade. I could hit you right now. I really could." Ava leapt off the table and came to stand right in front of me, putting a hand on my book, drawing my attention away from the pages to her. "You really are an idiot, you know that? Daddy always said that you were missing a few marbles, but going to visit that _girl_? She destroyed _everything_, Henry, because she was selfish. Don't you dare think about her, or I swear, I will make you fall in love with something completely undesirable." Her eyes were hard, blocks of glacial ice.

I didn't say anything. I'd learned long ago that matching anger with anger never worked out in the end. At best, it worked out like my confrontation with James had – the two of us were still angry, problems remained unresolved, and dark emotions bubbled deep within. It was times like that, when those emotions skimmed the surface, that I thought of my father, the way we looked alike, the hatred that gleamed in his eyes. Was I destined to end up like him? I could always change my appearance, of course, but this was me. Putting on another face would be like constantly wearing another mask. I'd lose myself.

Ava's eyes continued to search mine until I sighed and snapped the book shut. "Fine. I will not visit her. I just thought –"

Ava cut me off before I could finish my sentence. Her eyes had gone from hard to soft, and I recognized the emotion crossing her face, now. It was sadness, love, and hope. "She doesn't have what you need, Henry." Her words were soft, but they reminded me how much she really knew. Ava liked to seem like she was dense and innocent, but her wit was just as sharp as Irene's. She was not dumb in the least. "Take it from me. It's possible to love two people at once, but there's always a person that you love more, someone that you can't live without. And even if you can't give them all of yourself, you can give them a piece of you. Love needs to be divided. You cannot place your entire heart in the hands of one. It really is a beautiful notion, Henry, but you need to take a piece of who you are and keep it close to you always. Love is dangerous. It's there one day and gone the next. It can build you up and tear you down. Even we put our hopes and trusts into people that don't deserve it."

I looked at her for a long moment, wondering why her words of advice seemed a little off. It was almost like she _didn't_ want me to try and give Kate the chance I thought she deserved. Or was she telling me that I made a mistake in trusting Persephone? Ava had never really been one to dance around her words, but I was starting to believe that she was spending too much time with Irene when she wasn't hovering around me or keeping Kate company. "Are you telling me not to trust Kate?"

"Should it matter what I tell you?" She asked. I thought I saw the corners of her lips twitch up in a small smile, but I couldn't be for sure, the expression was so fleeting. "Mortals have this passage they say, concerning love. I'm sure you've heard of it – _love does not boast, love is kind_ and all that. But there's more to it than just that. You love who you need to love, Henry. Don't let any of us, even me, influence what you have to say for her. The one person you need to listen to is yourself. And I'm not talking about that mind of yours." She reached out and touched my chest, just over my heart, lightly. "Listen to your heart, Henry. It may not be the seat of love, but I swear to you, it _knows_."

With that, she stepped away from me and towards the doorway that led into the hallway. Pulling it open, she peered into the hall, checking for Kate, I was sure, and then turned to look at me over her shoulder. "Christmas is coming up. Kate will make it past Christmas. I can feel it."

# # #

We were all celebrating Christmas because it was what Kate had done with her family. There were days, sometimes, when the others had festivities. Xander liked any excuse to have a party. And so when he found out that Kate celebrated Christmas with Diana, he and Ava planned a large dinner for all of us. Another chance, he said to me, to see how Kate acted with all of us. They were proud of her at the ball, though they all believed that she had acted nervous. And for good reason, I'd said. But she was used to them now, and even if she didn't know it, they were her judges.

The manor was being decorated by the others with Xander at the helm, ordering where things were supposed to go and how they were supposed to look. Sofia was planning a large dinner in the back kitchen. Calliope and Ella worked together to decorate a large tree in the dining hall. James had not shown up, a fact that I secretly enjoyed. Ava was with Kate, waiting, watching.

None of the girls had survived past Christmas. Not a single one. And as I stood there, watching my family prepare for a celebration centered around the girl in a different part of the manor, I couldn't help the tight feeling I got in my stomach. Gods weren't supposed to get nerves, but I had them. The one person I could always depend on to give me flat advice and truthful answers had changed recently. Ava was speaking riddles around me as much as she could, never giving me a perfect, easy answer. I had the feeling that someone had put her up to it. Walter, maybe. It would be just like him to make things harder than they needed to be.

"Henry." I turned my head towards the voice. I wasn't even sure who was talking to me. I realized that I'd been staring at the completed Christmas tree for a while, unaware of the twinkling lights and the bright star sitting at its top. I was too busy thinking about Kate, hoping that she made it past Christmas, hoping that she passed the tests, hoping that I could give her everything she needed, everything she deserved. "You look like you're a million miles away. What do you think about the tree?"

I let my eyes scan over Calliope's face. There was a time, long ago, when I would not second guess my sister for any reason. She was one of the strongest of us, even if Walter refused to admit it. If not for her, I had no doubts that the outcome of our war with the Titans would have been different. Back then, I had been naïve enough to think that Calliope didn't have her own demons to contend with. But we all did. After seeing what Walter put her through, the lengths that she went to prove to him how bad he was, the way came to me, begging to be my queen, telling me she cared for me and that she had made a mistake in marrying our brother…. These days, I wasn't so quick to believe my sister. The only one that had my full trust was Ava.

I turned my eyes to the tree that she and Ella had decorated. It looked bright, almost foreign. "It's very nice. I'm sure Kate will love it." I almost missed the way Calliope's eyes darkened for just a moment. But when I turned to get a better look, they were crystalline blue, staring up at me. Perhaps it was just my mind playing tricks on me. I was worried for Kate, and that was lessening my ability to notice my surroundings.

"I'm sure she will. She and Diana did this, right?" She asked, her voice feigning innocence. Ella glanced over her shoulder, eyes looking over Calliope in a weary way. I'd always known that Ella and Theo weren't very easily trusting of Calliope. She had almost ordered them killed, after all, since they were Walter's children through a mortal woman. Ella was not one to let go of skirmishes like that so easily. If there was anyone she was more protective of than her brother, it would be her mother.

"Yes, they did," I said, watching the lights twinkle and wink along the wires. There was something almost calming at it. Warm, almost. I couldn't really describe it, but I could feel it inside of me, bubbling in my chest. Hope, maybe? Happiness?

My thoughts were cut off by an urgent call from Ava. _Henry, come to Kate's room, quick. There's a box in here. It doesn't feel right. Hurry!_ The words echoed through my mind, and as they ran through a second time they seemed to get louder. I was frozen for a moment, horror washing over me, soaking me from head to foot. I reached out and grabbed Nicholas by the arm, nodding to Theo across the room, commanding him mentally to come with me. Before I could even take another chance to think about Ava had said, I was off, running through the manor, propelling myself forward to Kate.

There was a part of me that worried what I would find. Would Kate be dead? Were we too late? Had our unseen enemy gotten past us for a twelfth time? The other part of me scolded. I could almost hear Diana telling me to stop thinking of the worst. She would have told me to think of the brighter side and stop assuming that everything is dark and deadly and dangerous. If only she could see us now.

Turning down the hallway, I could see the door that led to Kate's room. It seemed as if I was so far away, ridiculously far away. I almost felt like the hall was lengthening, purposely keeping me away from her. As I snatched the doorknob, I could have sworn that I heard Kate's voice. Only after I had swung open the door and seen her standing there, in front of a Christmas tree, pink-wrapped gift in hand, did I find my voice. "Stop." I commanded. In my panic, there was a hint of my power radiating off of me in waves. I only realized after I saw Kate's breath that it was too cold in here. My eyes connected with Kate across the room, going back and forth between her beautiful face and the box wrapped in her hands. I could feel that there wasn't something right about it, the same feeling that had probably tipped Ava off.

"It's a present," Kate began. I could see her hands trembling, though. She honestly hadn't believed me when I said she needed to watch her back. Apparently, she believed that I had this more handled than I did. Disappointment flooded me – not for her, but for myself. All I wanted to do now was protect Diana's daughter, and I couldn't even do that.

"Kate, step away." I said. She made a face at me, the only mortal I'd ever met that, after knowing who I was, still dared to treat me like I was just another human. There was a deep-rooted part of me that said she should care about what I thought because I was a god, something that the Titans had probably instilled in me long ago. But the majority of me was pleased that she could treat me like a friend. I didn't want to be her captor, like I had been to Persephone. I wanted her to care for me, to like me. I could still remember the days where Persephone would sit across from me in front of a fire, her hatred for me rolling off her in waves. Kate cared for me, I could see it. And it did me good.

Kate crossed her arms, her brows drawn together, a frown set upon her face. She obviously thought that the lot of us – Ava, me, the guards standing behind me – were taking this a little too seriously. I knew she didn't have the ability to sense the malice in the gift, but I figured that even a mortal would have been able to tell when something was going to do her wrong. Wrapping it in a bubble, preparing myself for it to explode, I ignored Kate's gasp and carefully raised the lid from a distance.

Inside was at least a dozen chocolates, little candies in different shapes and colors. There was one in the middle, a purple flower adorned on its top. Before our eyes, it cracked open and broke in half. Green acid oozed from the inside. It dripped onto the pink paper underneath the rest of the chocolates, disintegrating it with a hiss. The panic and horror inside of me twisted to sheer anger. Kate was still safe, but barely. I knew she would have taken a bite without even thinking about it. Perhaps she would have even chosen that one first.

"Cancel dinner," I demanded. We were not going to party when someone had slipped past us _again_. Xander could take up his disappointments with me later, but for now, he was going to have to get over the fact that we weren't celebrating anything tonight. "Make sure everyone is in their room. I want a complete search of the manor." I knew, though, deep down inside, that whoever had planted the gift wasn't here anymore. Whoever they were, they were the equivalent of a trained assassin, ruthless in their killing and smart enough to know how to get away. They'd done it eleven times before.

Kate stared at me for a second, but she managed to regain her voice. To my surprise, she turned it around on me and demanded that the others get their Christmas dinner after the manor was searched. Like me, she seemed to already know that we weren't going to find our culprit roaming the manor. She also made a second demand, in which I was required to spend my evening with her. The guards had already started to disperse, but Ava was still standing there, watching. I could feel her pleasure with Kate's conditions radiating from her.

I gave a simple nod in agreement, but I almost couldn't hide the smile that was fighting its way across my lips. I had never, not once, met a girl who was so selfless, who was so endearingly naïve, who was so spunky and warm and… everything that was good in this world. I left her with a few words of advice – not to dare open any more presents – and gestured to Ava to come with me. Perhaps she knew more than what she'd told me. She was in Kate's room the entire afternoon, after all.

As soon as the door had closed all the way behind me, I grabbed Ava's arm and transported the two of us to the library. She stepped away from me sharply the moment our feet had touched the library carpets. "What was that?" She demanded. "I tell you to hurry up, and you took _forever_ to get there. And she wouldn't listen to me! I told her not to open that present, and she _refused_!" Ava exclaimed. She turned around to face me, her cheeks sharp, her eyes sparkling with anger. "Why in the world did it take you so long?"

"I came as quickly as I could," I replied in a level tone. Ava was having some sort of nervous breakdown, I could tell. She had never been around a Mortal for a very long time – she had never truly grown to love them in a way that wasn't just physical. Ava had never really made a female friend like Kate. And it must have shaken her up to be faced with the idea of watching her friend die. It had shaken me to my very core. "She's fine."

Ava sniffled, drawing the back of her hand across her cheek roughly. "Why am I the one freaking out? You should be the one freaking out. And I should be the one telling you to snap out of it." She said. Ava wasn't new to death, but I saw it every day of my existence. My realm was based on it. Without it, I would have probably faded by now.

"I see death every day," I replied as lightly as I could. But the idea of Kate facing death at such a young age, with so much to offer the world, hurt me deep down inside. I struggled to keep my face blank, looking her in the eyes just long enough to ensure that neither of us were going to lose it completely before looking away, my eyes straying towards the window. "It's nothing new to me."

Ava stalked over to me and grabbed both of my arms. "I've never been emotionally invested in any of your girls before, Henry. I've always wanted you to find a new queen, sure, but I've never wanted the girls to survive just because I thought they deserved to live. I know that sounds so bad, but it's true. But it has to end, Henry. Not only for your sake, but hers. Who would want to sabotage you?"

I blinked, staring down at her. Ava had never really been the type to surprise me. Sure, she was a little impulsive, but I expected that from her. What I didn't expect was for her to immediately step in and decide that things needed to be taken care of – especially when it came to Kate. I knew, of course, that Ava had found a friend in her. But I imagined that, on her side, at least, it was the same type of friendship that she had with all mortals. They were there, they were what kept us alive, but they were below us. Even though we depended on them, they depended on us, more. "I can't imagine who it could be." I replied.

Ava glanced over her shoulder, eyes scanning over the library. "It can't be a mortal that's doing this, Henry. And if it were the Furies, or the Fates, we would _know_. It's something like us. _Someone_ like us." She insisted. Glancing over her shoulder again, she whispered, "Maybe it's even _one_ of us."

"That's absurd." I said, my eyebrows drawing together as I looked down at the goddess of love. "Are you suggesting that one of us has killed eleven mortals just because they could?"

"Because they don't want you to survive this. Maybe it's James. He's always had his eye on everything that yours, you know. That girl, the Underworld, Kate…." My heart constricted as she mentioned Kate's name. Did James really want her? Is that why he was trying to get more involved with this test than he had with all of the others? I could feel anger bubbling underneath the surface. "Or maybe it's daddy," she whispered. "You and daddy are always at each other's throats."

"I don't think –" I began.

"Or maybe," she exclaimed, turning away from me and starting to pace the library. "It's not your failure that they care about. Maybe it's the girls. Maybe someone doesn't like them, doesn't think they're good enough for you." She said. Pausing at the table, she looked down at the books and said, "But that doesn't make any sense, because by killing all the girls they're aiding in your impending fading, and if they were that bothered about all of the girls not being good enough for you, then they care about you. That's just a theory, but I think it's probably someone who wants you job. Maybe even one of the other gods, the ones not on the council." She offered.

"Ava," I said, shaking my head back and forth. "Why don't you go unwind?" I suggested. "The others should be in their rooms, and the manor has been searched. Theo says that there was no one hidden anywhere. They've gotten away again. We'll just have to keep a closer eye on Kate. Make sure the others eat, and I'll take a plate to Kate. I've got to uphold my end of the deal," I said quietly. I didn't want to let Ava know that I was extremely pleased at the idea of spending Christmas with Kate, even for only a short while.

Ava made a face at me before turning on her heel and leaving he room, muttering something about more outrageous theories. I waited until she was a good way down the hall before moving towards the desk, where Kate's wrapped Christmas gift was. Taking a hold of the present, I looked down at it for a short moment, running my thumb over the paper, before disappearing to the kitchen to get Kate a plate of food.

# # #

I stood at the door for a moment, holding the tray of food. Cerberus stood behind me, accompanied by Kate's puppy, which she had named Pogo. I was unsure of where she had gotten the name from, but I didn't ask and she didn't explain. Looking out of the corner of my eye, I caught Theo watching me with a broad grin on his face. He was enjoying the discomfort that was so obvious on my face, I was sure. I could feel my nerves rumbling in my stomach. Perhaps Kate didn't really want me to join her. Perhaps she had changed her mind.

Finally, opened the door and stepped inside, only to see Kate lying on the floor. She had pillows and blankets strewn across the bedroom, all of them gathered together in a type of makeshift bed. She looked up when I walked in, lying on her stomach, wearing her pajamas. I paused for half a second at the sight of her, but I managed to regain my careful composure and continued, handing over a mug of hot chocolate. I set the tray down on the coffee table next to her. I worked to keep my voice level and easy, but I had the feeling that it sounded forced. "Is there room for one more?"

"Plenty," she said. Her voice sounded overly warm, like she was trying to convince me into something. I stood there for a moment longer, to the point where she offered me a chair. But a part of me said that I wanted to be as close to her as physically possible, and I couldn't do that in a chair. Awkwardly, I sat down next to her, struggling to get comfortable. Now that I thought about it, I couldn't remember the last time I'd sat on the floor. Finally, I managed to settle down amidst blankets and pillows, wrapped in the warm presence of Kate.

She returned her eyes to the twinkling lights of the Christmas tree set up in her bedroom. There were no gifts underneath the tree, to my relief. Ornaments and strings of twinkling lights had been wrapped around all sides of the tree, and sitting on the very top was a large star. I watched the reflection of the lights in her blue eyes for a little while before asking her if she did this every year. I could easily imagine Diana taking part in something so relaxing, something different than what we knew, building it up until it was larger than life.

We sat in silence and watched the lights. My mind ran with thoughts, so fast that I couldn't focus on any single one. This had never happened to me before. A lot of my thoughts were about Kate, the way she looked in her pajamas, stretched out on the floor. The way her eyes sparkled as they rested on the tree. The way her thumb ran up and down the handle on the cocoa mug. The way she bit her lip, a sure sign that she was thinking about something deep. And then there were the thoughts about who wanted her dead, who wanted me to fail. I wondered if Diana would be pleased with the steps I'd taken to ensure that Kate was happy here. I wondered if Diana would be disappointed in me if she failed. I wondered if I would get a chance to see my favorite sister before I disappeared into the great beyond.

"What's it like to be dead?" Kate asked. The question yanked me out of my thoughts, and I turned to look at her. Her cheeks were flushing, her eyes on the mug in front of her.

I sat there, staring at her, trying to form an answer in my mind. Was she worried about her mother? Worried about herself? "I would not know. I do not know what it is like to be alive, either." Kate pursed her lips, and in an attempt to continue a conversation – any conversation – I said, "But if you would like, I could tell you about death." The words sounded morbid, but I figured that she would need to know this, if she were ever to be my queen. If she were to rule as my equal in the Underworld, she would need to immerse herself in the knowledge of the dead and the dying.

I explained to her the difference between dying and being dead. I explained about the afterlife, the way one might see the gates to the front of the property as their entrance into the Underworld. I explained about the different beliefs and the way the Underworld fit into them. I told her about the afterlife, and the way that I needed James to temporarily help me, even though it killed me to do so. And finally, I said the final words, the ones that I wished I had never even said. I mentioned the fact that James would have asked Kate to attempt to be his queen if he were to become the ruler of the Underworld and I were to fade.

Luckily, Kate seemed to take in the information and change the subject, just a little bit. She asked what she would do if she passed, and I told her that it was like a job. I told her about the reason we existed was to help the souls that were unsure of what to expect in their afterlife. Different beliefs clashed more than not, and there were always the souls that didn't know what they deserved. I explained to her that my job was to choose her, and my brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews, were the ones that were testing her. She'd proven that she had something different than the rest of the humans I'd encountered. Now it was up to my family to decide if she was worth immortality.

At one point, she put her soft hand over mine, and it was almost like I could feel my skin tingle. It warmed my heart, warmed all the way through me, erasing the pieces of me that were frozen in hard blocks of ice, reminding me that there was something out there in the world other than Persephone. Kate told me, in the lightest whisper, that she wanted to pass. I had believed that much, since she was very clear in the fact that she wanted to save me. I may have been a bird with a broken wing to her, one that needed her to survive. And in a way, it was true. But I would not suffer if she failed, she knew that. I would just… disappear. But Kate wasn't the type to let something like that happen, not if she had anything to say about it. I wondered briefly if Diana had raised her that way, knowing that her daughter would have to have a sense of determination that was stronger than steel.

"Perhaps it is impossible that anyone takes Persephone's place, but if that is the case, it is out of no failure of your own. But if anyone is capable of it, I am certain it is you." I told her.

"I'll never be Persephone, and I know that, but – we could be friends. And you wouldn't have to be alone anymore." Kate was being honest. She was being sincere. She was offering up her entire life, the rest of her life, for an immortal existence of sitting beside someone that she considered a friend. She would give up everything, _everything_, for me. I looked away from her, throat closing up, suffocating my words. Maybe it was the fact that she was so selfless, but it also might have been the fact that she believed she couldn't replace Persephone in my heart. I'd said as much, not in so many words, and not so directly. But if Kate didn't believe she could do that, and I was weary if it was even possible, what did that mean for us?

Finally, I said, "I would very much like that." It was true. I wanted Kate by my side. If there was anyone that I would want to keep with me at all times, it was her.

Kate changed the subject – to Christmas presents. I had known that I needed – wanted – to get something for Kate, something that she would cherish. I honestly hadn't expected to get something from her, though I knew it was a possibility. Kate would have gotten a gift for everyone in the manor if she could. She stood up and slid halfway underneath the bed, coming back with a large package wrapped in gold paper. While she was retrieving the box from under the bed, I placed my gift to her in her spot, where she would be sure to see it.

I waited for her to open her present. Unwrapping the paper and lifting the lid to the box, she peered inside. I watched her expression carefully. What if she didn't like it? What if she wondered where I had gotten it and asked? I had never been so worried about the fact that someone would dislike something before. Kate's eyes got a little larger, her mouth dropping open a little bit, as she carefully reached inside and withdrew the photograph from within. Diana had given it to me years ago, when Cerberus had ruined Kate's birthday picnic. I had the original still – this one was a reflection, a true memory.

Excitement burst through me when I realized that she truly did like it. I reached for the box she had given me, unwrapped the paper, and lifted the lid. Inside was a navy blanket, yellow dots carefully arranged. I stared down at it, unsure of what it was. Eventually, I asked. She had truly stumped me.

"It's the night sky," she said, holding the reflection close to her heart. "See the dots? They're stars. I remembered what you said about the stars moving. You said they were different when you met Persephone, and – this is how they are now. When you met me." Her words were soft as she explained the meaning behind the dots on the blanket. My fingers ran over them. Nobody had ever given me anything with so much thought, nor much care. Persephone, my wife for lifetimes, had never given me a gift.

We stared at eat other for a while, and then she said, "Can I try something? If you don't like it, I'll stop."

I gave a slight nod, unsure as to what she was going to do. She seemed nervous. She leaned forward, closer to me, and suddenly her lips were pressed against mine. I sat there, completely frozen. A kiss? She'd wanted a kiss from me? She wanted to give me a kiss? My body seemed to warm from head to toe, shooting through my veins like fire. And suddenly I was free again from whatever restraints had held me back. My hand went to her neck, my fingers curling over her smooth skin.

Eventually, she pulled away from me. We sat there, staring at each other, before we both admitted that it had been… nice. It had been nice, something that I never would have thought that I would have, something that I would really like to experience again. I was right when I said that Kate had opened doors into the darkest parts of me. She was pulling pieces of me together, parts that had been separated for so long I didn't know if they would function together properly. Slowly, she reached forward and linked her fingers through mine. I didn't miss the fact that our hands seemed to fit together perfectly.

Kate asked me if I would stay.

I accepted.

**Sorry it took so long to get out. I've been a little iffy with my writing (writer's block, it's been going on for the upside of a month, and I'm starting to go insane. Hopefully I'm getting back into the groove of things.)**

**I apologize in advance for mistakes in spelling/grammar. I just uploaded this chapter without reading through it. Hopefully it doesn't bother you too much.**

**I want to thank each and every one of you for taking the time out of your day to read this chapter. I also ask that you take a minute to leave me a review in the box below. I remind you that you don't need to have a fanfiction account to leave a review. Thanks again! Peace (:**


	10. Mistakes

**mrpuppy – I definitely think Henry deserves his own series. I loved his character in Aimee Carter's actual books, and the more I write from his POV, I like him even more! (:**

**SSMLFob20 – The Christmas chapter is one of my favorites, too! It was surprisingly difficult to write from Henry's POV, since I wanted it to be absolutely **_**perfect**_**. And I know, I am so bad at staying on an updating schedule. We are getting to the end of this little story, though. Hopefully after this one, I'll have another all lined up, 'cause I can never seem to limit myself. Lol!**

**IRead2Much4eva – Thank you! **_**Goddess Interrupted**_** had one of those ridiculous cliffhanger endings that I love to write but hate to read. I'm waiting impatiently for the next book, that's for sure!**

**Eve – Thank you so much! It's funny – I sort of found Ava annoying but likeable in the actual books, but she's sort of accidentally taken a main supporting character in my little FanFiction. I can't say that I blame her, though. Haha (:**

**megan p123 – Ooh, food poisoning sounds awful. I'm assuming that you're all better (since I've taken so long to update.) So, in that case, stay healthy (;**

**Huntress3419 – I'm going to try and follow the book as closely as I can. In that case, I think that I'm going to include the drug scene, but it's going to be very vague. I really dislike when a good book has to include a PG-13 scene that's not really required. Even though this is rated T, I want to keep it as modest as possible. (;**

**Tiffany – Thank you so much! As I told Huntress3419, the drugged scene will be included since it's sort of important to the story, but it will be very vague.**

**Team Peeta Mellark – Thanks! I'm updating! (;**

**Jacqueline – Thanks!**

**Sam – I am updating! Sorry it's taking so long! And Hurricane Sandy? If that's not an initiative I don't know what is. I know the actual storm is pretty much over now, but reading it made me want to start on it right away!**

**7 Phoenix Wings – You're right about Amphitrite, so thanks. I haven't really read any myths or stories about her and Poseidon, but I'm not claiming to be a myth expert, so I guess that's to be expected. Haha. I went back and looked in the chapter that you reviewed but couldn't find the part you were asking about (I just skimmed.) I'm assuming that I was talking about the flowers outside the house, and in that regard, I believe that I was saying that the flowers are missing Diana (I'm also assuming that if I spelled it as "wary," I probably meant is as "weary." You pointed out that you don't think Persephone was ever with Hermes… so I'm assuming that you haven't read **_**Goddess Legacy**_**. In Aimee Carter's version of events, Persephone cheats on Hades with Hermes. Also, in this series, Hades doesn't kidnap Persephone. Demeter sets up an arranged marriage. My FanFiction is based off of Aimee Carter's series, not actual myths.**

**KingLouie – Wow, that really is some high praise. Thank you so much!**

**[There are a couple other reviews that deserve answers, but they can all be answered with a generic response: Thank you so much! And I'm really sorry it's taken me so long to update.]**

_10: Mistakes_

The rest of the evening, Kate told me about herself, things that I had yet to learn. She told me, with a solemn expression on her face, about Diana. Her sadness about her mother was palpable, and I felt bad pretending that Diana was just another mortal. I didn't want Kate to worry like she did. I had the urge to tell her about the tests, or at least tell her that her mother was a goddess. I'd never wanted to break the council's rules the way I did with her. But I managed to hold my tongue and just uttered words of comfort to her. Kate seemed appeased that I would personally look after her mother, and we turned our attention to lighter topics. We continue to talk softly to one another while focusing on the twinkling lights of her Christmas tree.

We didn't kiss for a second time, though there was definitely a part of me that wanted to. I'd never felt feelings so intense, or at least, I hadn't felt them in a long time. I should have expected it by now, when it came to Kate. She was everything that I didn't expect, a young woman that continued to surprise me at every turn. So I pushed the thought of out my mind and glanced at her from the corner of my eye as she stared up at the tree, her eyes glowing softly. She was so beautiful, so perfect, yet she almost seemed like she couldn't trust herself. Maybe she had a thing or two to learn from Ava.

As the night drug on, Kate became increasingly tired. At some point, we'd rolled onto our backs, staring at the lights upside down. It was Kate's suggestion. I almost felt a little silly – as a god, there had never been any real good reason for me to lie on the floor. But there was something almost magical about it. I had no idea if it was because of the Christmas lights glowing on the ceiling, dancing to their own silent music, or if it was because it was Kate I was with. When I knew she wasn't looking, I turned my head to look at her. She looked so completely content. Like always, I couldn't just sit there and think about all of the good things – a part of me had to think something cynical. I knew this would be Diana's last Christmas in mortal form. Would it be Kate's, as well? It was a close call with the poisoned chocolates.

The thought slipped my mind, though, when Kate's eyes drifted shut and she scooted into my side. I was suddenly nervous, feeling as if I would start shaking and she would feel it. She just put her head on my chest. With every breath I took, I could smell the soap in her hair. It was sweet and warm, just like she was. As Kate drifted off into sleep, to spend time with her mother, I took a deep breath and let out a sigh. I could spend the rest of eternity like this, with Kate. She would never get boring, and she would never betray me, I was sure. All I could hope was that she thought the same of me.

# # #

I had the feeling that if I knew about it, I would have tried to put a stop to it. Or maybe I would make it less drastic. But in the morning, when all I heard was the whispered sentence for me to go along with whatever Ella was going to do next, I complied without really giving it a thought. I should've, though.

The knocks on the bedroom door were loud enough to wake Kate. She jumped out of sleep, sitting up and running a hand through her hair. I thought she looked beautiful like that, touched by the morning light. She gave me a scowl, and I couldn't help but let a small smile touch my lips as I stood up and headed for the door. I'd barely opened it when Ella dashed in, followed quickly by Calliope.

"I want her gone!" Ella yelled. I almost winced at the sound of her voice pitched that high. Her eyes darted from me to Kate and back. I couldn't tell if she was surprised that I was still here in the morning, or if it was just the pile of blankets and pillows on the floor that was making her hesitate. Standing behind Ella, Calliope stared at Kate's Christmas tree coldly. Then her eyes went to me, and they were blank, the same warmth behind them that there usually was.

Still looking at Calliope I asked, "Is that a request or a demand?" As I spoke the words I turned back to the nest of pillows and blankets. They were probably still warm from where Kate and I had laid. They'd given me a memory that I didn't want to ever forget.

"She hurt him!" Ella called back. I was still a little confused, but she was telling me mentally to play along, so I was. Kate scrambled to her feet, asking what Ella was talking about. I appreciated it, because if she hadn't asked, I would have. I was used to my family acting a little strange here and there, but this was something else altogether. I blinked at Ella as she burst out into tears that were very believable. I couldn't remember the last time I'd seen her cry, if I'd ever seen her cry. I turned my attention to Calliope, who stood next to Ella stoically, her hands clasped in front of her. She kept her eyes focused on the floor of Kate's bedroom.

Calliope explained quietly, talking about Xander, Theo, and Ava. I tensed, worrying about what they had cooked up. That seemed like a lethal combination. If Ava had a part in it, it was sure to be dramatic. Xander and Theo would have easily followed Ava's lead. But if Ella was a part of it, it couldn't be too bad, could it? She was very down-to-earth, and I remembered that once, Xander had referred to her as the council member most likely to kill a good party. But if Calliope was involved, too…. "Xander's passed into the beyond."

"What?" Kate asked, her voice almost too loud, like Ella's had been. She grabbed onto my arm, her fingers digging into my skin. "What does that mean, the beyond?"

"When?" I demanded. I knew that this was a set-up; it had to be. Gods didn't just pass into the beyond, especially when Xander still had modern parties to keep him fit for eternity. His realm wasn't in any danger, that was for sure. Calliope's soft voice slid through my mind, telling me quietly that this was one of Kate's tests. I was supposed to see what kind of leader she would be, if she could handle heavy decision-making. I wasn't sure what that meant, but I went along with it anyway. As much as I hated it, my relationship with Kate was at the mercy of the council, and I didn't want to rock the boat in any way.

"This morning," Calliope answered my question aloud. She turned her attention to Kate and said softly, "Passing into the beyond is much like death, only for those like us that have… already died." She blinked a few times, her face a mask of worry and discomfort. She was good at pretending. A part of me felt like that was something that could be particularly bad, though I wasn't sure. Maybe it was Ava's suggestions of sabotage that had me on edge when it came to the rest of my family. I found myself analyzing them a little more than I usually would. It didn't sit well with me, and if they ever found out that I expected them for even a moment, they would never treat me with much respect. Walter would hold it against me for the rest of my existence.

Kate bit down on her lip. "Is Ava – and Theo – are they okay?" She sounded genuinely worried. A part of me felt awful about it. She had no idea that this was all a lie, cooked up by some crazy immortal gods and goddesses that had nothing better to do with their time.

Ella just cried harder. Calliope made a face that said all was not well. I let out a heavy sigh and gripped Kate's wrist. "We have to go see them," I said to no one in particular. We left Kate's bedroom, and a handful of warm, happy memories, behind. Ava was boarded in one of the rooms just a little ways down from Kate. If there had actually been a scuffle, we wouldn't have heard it. Or, at least Kate wouldn't have.

The room was a mess. It was obvious that they'd put a lot of thought into it. There was blood all over the mattress, spotting Ava's face and the clothes she was wearing. Some sort of twisted remains lay on the center of the bed, as if it was a display at a museum. The air smelled thick, like the embodiment of death. Kate's fingers tightened on my hand as we looked at our crime scene. Calliope and Ella, their jobs momentarily finished, had left us to handle Ava.

Kate's worry was almost tangible. She was worried for her friend, what the beyond meant for Xander, and whether or not Theo was okay. I hated lying to her like this. I should have trusted her from the very front. The test was ridiculous, I decided. I didn't care if Calliope had thought it up hundreds of years ago. None of us adhered to it. None of us was the mask of perfection that they asked. We'd made Hercules immortal for passing his tests of strength, and the others were added to the council because Walter wanted them to be. Why did the one that I cared for have to be pushed to the limits in this way?

Kate approached Ava slowly, almost as if she thought that her friend was an injured wild animal. Ava put on the theatrics, effectively getting Kate onto her side. Kate helped Ava up and gave her a robe to wear, leading her away and into the bathroom to clean up. I lingered in the bedroom. I couldn't help but admire my family's handiwork. As much as I hated it, I had to admit that they certainly knew how to pull something of this magnitude together. I had the feeling that it was mostly due to Ava and Xander, who, when put together, planned the biggest and most extravagant events. I now remembered why I preferred my home in the Underworld to here, though. Sometimes, they took things too far.

Kate returned with Ava in tow, her face free of blood, though her eyes were still wide. When Kate turned her attention to me, Ava gave me a sly wink. Kate asked if this was another test. Of course she would be that perceptive. Quickly, I said it wasn't. The lie was thick on my tongue. I changed the subject quickly and took her to see Ella and Theo. Clearly, they wanted to see what punishment Kate would impose on the guilty party.

Kate stopped in the doorway to Theo's bedroom. He lay on the bed, his eyes closed, asleep. Ella stood by his bedside, wringing her hands. I didn't miss the glare she threw Kate's way. I had no idea why she was suddenly looking at Kate with such dispassion, but I didn't question it. Instead, I stood at the foot of Theo's bed and looked down on my nephew's sleeping form. "How is he?" I asked.

Ella explained Theo's wounds – superficial, for the most part, all except for his chest. She explained that her main worry was his blood loss. With my back momentarily to Kate, I gave Ella a raised eyebrow. They had really worked their plan out to the finest detail, determined to make this believable. It worked; Kate was scared to death.

I woke up Theo, and he explained his side of events. Ava wasn't speaking much on the subject, and Theo, of course, painted himself as the victim. I didn't miss the look Kate gave me, almost as if she couldn't believe that it was really me, being as cold as I was. Maybe I was being too distant from the situation. But I couldn't figure out how to show the right amount of worry when I knew that there was nothing wrong with either Xander or Theo. Ava was not traumatized at all because she'd seen and orchestrated worse. Ella was probably enjoying this, and I had the feeling that in the past centuries, Calliope had become a fan of what could easily be called cruel pranks.

After hearing Theo's version of events, he went back to sleep. I turned back to Kate and easily guided her out of the room. She stopped in the hallway and asked me, in all seriousness, if I thought he was telling me the truth. If that were the case, then there would be no reason to implicate Theo for anything. It could all be blamed on Xander, the named deceased, and Ava would just be the reason that it happened. Crimes of passion were common among the human race. I was sure that it was something that Kate, sweet, gentle Kate, would understand.

I blinked as I looked into her blue eyes. "What do you think?" I asked. This was a big step. There had only been one other person who helped me make decisions in my realm, and the Manor was mine. It was important that Kate be able to make hard decisions, even if they affected people that she knew and cared for. Being queen of the dead wasn't an easy job. There were hard decisions that she would have to make. There would be times when she would want to do something different than what was right, and we all needed proof that she could be a wise leader.

"I think I need to talk to Ava." She admitted. I nodded and led her back to the room where Ava was waiting. "I think I really should go talk to her alone," Kate suggested. Her eyes met mine and she added, "You know, girl on girl?" I struggled to hide my smile. Now would not be an appropriate time to show her how much she really amused me.

"If that is what you think is best. I will be right out here if you need anything." I told her. I let her go into the room alone, remaining outside the door just as I had promised. I stood in the hallway, staring at the closed door. I hoped with every fiber of my being that Kate would make a wise decision here. I wasn't for sure when I started to feel like we were in this together, but I did now. I hated knowing that these tests would mark an outcome for the both of us, and I wasn't allowed to help her in any way. I hated that she had all of the pressure on her own shoulders – not because I didn't believe in her, but because no one should have to feel like it was completely her fault should she fail.

"You look worried, Henry." The words were quiet and low. I glanced over and caught sight of my nephew, Nicholas. He was Ava's husband, decided on by Walter. He looked longingly into the room, where his wife was. Nicholas was wise. Sometimes I wondered if his disfigurement had taught him something that the rest of us were unaware of. I only wished for the kind of knowledge he had. Maybe I wouldn't be so confused.

"Be honest with me," I said in a low tone, eyes still focused on the door. "Do you think that this is a little too cruel for Kate to go through just yet?"

He took a step back, putting the majority of his weight on his good leg. His eyes searched my face, and he finally said, "I've never seen you so riled up about a mortal before." He blinked and glanced away from me, saying, "You may not want to introduce her to the darker parts of the world, but if she's to rule alongside you, she needs all of the knowledge and experience she can get. If she passes, peoples' eternities will be resting on her decisions. We might as well start with something small." He said.

"Yes," I said quietly, not paying any real attention to him. "Perhaps you're right."

As I said the words, I suddenly heard the undertone of Kate's voice. It sounded like she was upset. Angry, even. I couldn't make out the words specifically, though if I paid attention, I could. But I didn't want to listen in. I was sure that Nicholas was, though, especially when he gave a low whistle and murmured, "Ouch. She's a feisty one, Henry. A backbone of steel, I think." I glanced over at him – being compared to a piece of steel, strong and trustworthy and unbreakable – was a high compliment when it came from the mouth of a blacksmith. I turned back to the door, wondering if I _should_ listen in. I only caught the end of their conversation – Kate's decision – before the door opened and Kate stalked out.

Her face was a mask of anger. She didn't say a word to me or Nicholas and instead turned to walk down the hallway. I glanced into the open doorway for half a second before following Kate silently. She headed straight to her bedroom, her grip on the doorknob so tight that I could see her knuckles turn white for a split second before she was in the room. She drew back and kicked one of the pillows, which nearly hit the puppy I'd gotten her and Cerberus, who lay on the floor, curled up together.

Kate turned to face me sharply. "Now what?" She asked.

"Nothing," I replied. Cerberus clambered up to his feet and came to sit at my side. I reached down and scratched him behind the ears, just as he liked. "You have already made your decision." Kate's eyebrows drew together, so I went on to explain Ava's punishment. It was just a condensed version of what Kate had told her – she was to have no contact with any of the men in the mansion, nor was she supposed to see Ella or Kate for the remainder of her time here. I had a feeling that when all was revealed, Kate would gladly raise the punishment off of Ava's head, but for now I could not think of any punishment that would better fit the situation. Kate had kept a level head, even when dealing with her friends. For that I was proud of her.

I told her that she did excellent on her decision. I could see the crestfallen look in her eyes. She hated the fact that she'd exiled Ava to spend time virtually alone. She would miss her friend before long, but her decision would stand. If anything, it would teach Kate that not all decisions could be made with a burst of anger, no matter how right it was. As I was leaving, I paused to tell her that she was what was important to me. I felt a little nervous saying the words, which was a strange feeling, but I quickly left. Kate needed time to herself, and I needed time to access what had happened.

# # #

I felt as if the barrier had been broken. It now felt right to spend every free moment of my time with Kate. I still spoke to Ava, though Kate had sort of outlawed it. When I wasn't with Kate, Nicholas stayed with her. And every single night, I stayed in her bedroom with her. We'd lay on the bed, covered in the star-dotted blanket she'd given me for Christmas, and we'd talk softly, usually about Kate and her childhood and all the good memories she had with Diana.

When the evenings came, I found myself wanting to spend more and more time with her. Every night, the urge to kiss her got stronger. But I held back, trying to show her how much I truly cared for her in the way that I would softly touch her hand. Occasionally, I did kiss her. At first, it was on the forehead or on the cheek, but it progressed to the point where I would start to lean in to kiss her lips without even thinking about it, like I was just magically drawn to her. And she would always meet me halfway.

As the days passed, Kate seemed like she was more willing to be with me, just like I was with her. I wondered if this was what Ava had been talking about, the comfort that I felt with Kate, the way that I wanted to protect her and show her that I cared. I wondered if this was what love really was. I couldn't recall ever feeling this way when it came to Persephone. For her, I just wanted to give her everything she could have ever wanted. I wanted to make her happy. I wanted those things for Kate, too, but there was an extra facet to my relationship with her that I hadn't had with my previous wife.

Every night, we fell asleep side by side. When I woke up before her, I'd watch her silently. She was always beautiful, but there was an added layer of innocence to her when she slept. Her mouth was relaxed, curling up into a slight smile. Her eyelashes were long enough that they dusted the tops of her cheekbones, dark against her pale skin. Her breathing was always soft. I could only imagine what she was dreaming about, what she and Diana did when she was asleep. I wondered if I would ever know what they did or talked about. Maybe it would be a part of Kate's life that stayed between her and Diana only. But that didn't mean that I didn't wonder.

Sometimes there were days when I woke up and Kate was already awake. She usually just flushed and gave me a quick, warm smile before rolling out of bed and heading towards the bathroom and the closet to change for the day. I always wondered if she watched me the way I watched her. I couldn't get enough of her, and I wondered if she felt the same about me. The thought of that sent a thrill through me that I hadn't felt in… well, ever.

We now spent a lot of time together. But Kate was lonely, otherwise. Ella spent her days with Theo. Calliope did the work of a dressing maid and then disappeared, usually for hours at a time. Since Kate no longer wore the dresses that Ella had originally picked out for her, she didn't really need too much help dressing and undressing. And now that Ava was gone, it was just her, Pogo, and Nicholas. She continued to go out and visit Phillip, but we all knew that Phillip wasn't the type of friendship that a young girl like Kate needed. I knew that she missed Ava, just like I found myself missing her sometimes-cryptic advice. But I never asked Kate to talk about Ava or her dwindled friendship with her. She was privy to her own friendship concerns. I figured that if she wanted to tell me, she would of her own free will. For now, if she was content to keep it to herself, then I was fine with it.

January passed into a blur of days. Everything was normal until the day that Irene came up to me and told me, with worry reflected in her eyes, that Kate had seemed distant during her tutoring session. I abandoned my books and went in search of her. First I went to the stables, but Phillip said that she hadn't been in there to visit him or the horses that day. With panic starting in my chest, I thought about enlisting the help of Ava. As I walked across the snow-covered grounds, though, I found her.

She was dressed in a dark cloak which wrapped around her small body. She was sitting on her knees in the snow, seemingly unaware of the snow soaking into her jeans. She was sitting in front of a dead rose bush. I neared quietly, my feet barely leaving imprints on the snow. I paused beside her. "Kate?" I asked. I was incredibly worried about her. This certainly wasn't normal behavior, no matter how lonely she was.

"It's my mother's last birthday," she told me in a voice that echoed the pain that I knew lived deep down inside her. I knew that she feared losing her mother. It was the reason that she'd agreed to stay here, after all. We'd made a deal that I would prolong her mother's life and make sure that her death was quick and painless. I couldn't think of anything to say, though I knew I should've said something comforting. After a moment of silence, Kate continued. I listened quietly, only speaking to insist that the trees were sleeping instead of dead. Diana used to say that to me. She'd always tell me with a mask of playful seriousness that when the cold winter was over, the trees and flowers would wake up from their winter hibernation and be as wonderful if not better than they had been the previous spring.

I sat down in the snow next to Kate. I put my arm around her, wanting to keep her warm and be close to her at the same time. If I made her as warm as she made me feel, then I was sure that the snow wouldn't affect her. As I thought about the snow, I thought of the spring and summer, Diana's favorite months and, consequently, Kate's as well. I thought about it for a moment, rolling the idea around in my mind before asking, "May I show you something?"

I had no idea how she would react, but I did it anyway. I had her close her eyes, and then I showed her what her corner of the Underworld would look like. I imagined that it was the same place that she and Diana disappeared to when Kate slept – Central Park, in New York. I only slipped up when I mentioned that this would be what she had to look forward to, should she fail the test. That earned me a good scolding from her, but I couldn't even find the energy to argue with her. I didn't really want to argue with her. Instead, I told her my arranged marriage with Persephone, even though it was something that Ava had advised against.

I only made it worse when I promised her that, should this all end, we would be eternally friends. I didn't want to just stay friends with Kate, but it was hard to forget all about my previous wife and let myself care for Kate more than either of us was ready. She seemed like she was second guessing herself, and that made me want to take a step back and look over our entire relationship thus far. I honestly wasn't sure where it was leading. For the first time in a long time, I felt a pang of fear.

# # #

We continued our nightly meetings throughout February, but I would be lying if I said that everything was the same as it had been. There was an uneasiness that was an undercurrent of every moment we'd spent together. I knew that in my stupidity and confusion, I had hurt Kate. And that only hurt me more to know.

When March came, I was required by Walter to spend time at the council meetings, though I was not officially a member of Olympus. It was during one of these meetings that Ella brought up something that made my unusually angry.

"She has to stop eating," Ella said. She looked serious, as if Kate's eating was personally offending her.

I couldn't help but blink. Should Kate become immortal, eating would never be a problem. She wouldn't have to eat to survive, but the rest of us ate because we liked the taste. I didn't see the point in making Kate give up anything, especially when she'd given up so much already. "Whatever for?" I asked, searching her face.

"Gluttony," she answered. "I don't care how skinny she'll stay, Henry, nobody wants to see you married to a pig." Calliope snorted at that. I glared at the two of them.

Opening my mouth to argue, I was cut off by Walter. He seemed particularly entertained with what was going on. "Now brother, don't go and get all riled up. I think that it is a reasonable suggestion. We certainly wouldn't want your new wife to be full of gluttony." He grinned at the words, and I felt a hatred for him that I usually harbored deep down inside. It was wrestling to get out. I'd been on edge for a long time. I believed that it was because of this awkward separation with Kate. I couldn't think of another way to argue it. Walter just grinned, "I think that it means this meeting is called to a close. Henry, a word?" The others slipped out of the room, leaving me alone with Walter.

"What is it that you want, brother?" I asked, feigning respect.

"We're worried for you," Walter said with false care. He didn't care about me, not really. I fought to keep my face blank as he continued. "You've been on edge. It's unhealthy, really. Calliope says that she's worried Kate couldn't possibly be the right one to be your queen. Look at the discord between you two."

"That's enough, Walter." I said sharply. "My relationship with Kate is not privy to you."

"That's where you're wrong. This entire relationship is orchestrated because you cannot handle your realm alone. You require a queen, and we need to make sure that she would be the correct addition to this family." I couldn't think of another word to say. I didn't want to say anything that would make him too mad because he would most certainly take out his wrath on Kate. "Now, I've got things to attend to. Good day, brother."

# # #

"I need you to stop eating." I said. I'd hoped that I would say the words and Kate would comply without question, but I should have known better. She was not one to take a word and follow it blindly. It was something that both annoyed me and made me admire her.

"Why? I like eating," she said, cuddling Pogo into her chest.

I tried to explain it to her without giving away any information that would hurt us in the end. She wasn't to know about the tests, but I'd already made the mistake of requesting this from her. How else would she have passed it, though? One does not simply _stop_ eating. I'd never seen a single member of my friend cease eating for any reason. It was ridiculous for them to expect it from Kate.

But she would not do just as I asked, which would have been the simplest way to go. So instead, I asked her about Calliope. If she wouldn't stop eating just because I asked her to, maybe she would stop eating because she wanted to protect everyone. Calliope was her taste tester, and if there was any poison in her meals it would affect my sister first. I knew that it had always bothered Kate, but it was something that she had finally just gotten used to. It was the only thing that I could think of.

It sparked a short argument between the two of us. That is, until I blurted out that it was one of her tests, and if she did not stop eating, we would fail that part of the test. Apparently, I said something right because her eyes changed. Instead of questioning me more about the tests and the seven sins, it was if I really truly cared.

_Of course I care_, I wanted to tell her. But it couldn't be that easy, could it? It seemed like there were always thing stacked against us, to keep us confused and unsure of where the next step was. I almost felt like I was teetering on the edge of a very tall cliff, looking down at the end of mortality below. I'd never had a fear of death, since I neither lived nor died. But for some reason, it was easy for me to imagine.

I asked Kate why she was unhappy with me. I knew that I was unhappy with myself because we were at a standstill in a relationship that I thought had been moving forward. It was entirely my fault. If I hadn't pushed Kate into areas that neither of us were particularly comfortable with, then there wouldn't be such an awkward wall standing in between us.

Kate sighed heavily. She didn't look up at me as I paced the room in front of her couch. Pogo sat on the couch next to her, wagging his tail. "I don't want to be just your friend." She admitted.

I paused in my step and turned to look at her. I was a little confused. I had thought that she was not ready to act as my wife, that she didn't want to be married to the likes of me. And so I'd given her an out – friendship. She could be my queen in title only, if that was what she wanted. I didn't mind spending an eternity with her. But she cared for me. I could feel the pieces clicking together in my mind. Apparently, neither of us were very clear with what we expected out of this relationship.

I asked her if she cared for me. All she had to say was one word, and I wouldn't let her say anymore. I rushed across the room and crouched in front of her. I couldn't help but press my lips to hers, kissing her as deeply as my entirety wanted me to. Kate didn't hesitate to kiss me back, and that warmed my heart, glowing all the way through me. I almost felt new, like I'd been reborn in some sort of way. She cared for me. Nobody had ever truly cared for me the way she did.

And I was suddenly very sure that I cared for her just as much. I'd been blind to it before, expecting the same sort of relationship that I'd gotten from Persephone. I should have known that even though the two of them were sisters, they were so very different. Kate shouldn't be compared to her sister. She was her own person, a person who very possibly already owned my heart. "I care. I care so much that I do not know how to tell you without it seeming inconsequential compared to how I feel. Even if I am distant at times and seem as if I do not want to be with you, it is only because this scares me, too." Once all the words were out, I felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted off of my chest. I felt as if there was something new to the world, something that I had never seen before. I leaned in and kissed her again, and she kissed me back.

She agreed to stop eating. Perhaps we could win this after all.

That night, I slipped into her bedroom after dinner. I apologized for getting angry at her earlier in the day, and we talked about lighter topics. I felt like things were back to the way they had been before I'd made such a mistake that it ruined a month or two of her stay here. Except it was different – we were happy again, at least I thought so, and there was nothing that could stop us now. I was determined to see this through. I realized with a jolt that I no longer wanted to fade completely. The majority of me was fully dedicated to Kate.

I smiled at the thought. Diana had told me that I would come to love her second daughter, and I'd told her that it was impossible. I shouldn't have even bothered to argue with her or try to prove her wrong. My sister was always right, being so insightful like she was. She'd known before Kate was born that she would be the type of woman that I would need, that I could love.

Calliope stopped in to give us some hot chocolate, which we drank. I lied about Calliope's "fear" of me – I believed it was closer to an angry obsession – and we talked about why she was unafraid of me. I was glad that she didn't lurch away from me. There were souls that, even after death, looked upon me as if I would personally send them to whatever purgatory that they'd created for themselves. They never seemed to understand that they were the ones that created their afterlife, not me.

Kate leaned forward to kiss me, and it was like some sort of dam broke inside me. I didn't care about the council or their stupid rules anymore. All I wanted was Kate, an eternity with her. I wanted to love her without being watched. I wanted her to rule at my side. I wanted to sweep her off her feet and tell her that the council didn't matter to me anymore.

Kate admitted that she believed she was falling in love with me. Love. With me. The feeling that I'd left unnamed, that had been my companion for a while now, swelled in my chest. "That's the first time anyone has ever told me they loved me." I told her.

"You better get used to hearing it more often, because I plan on saying it to you an awful lot." She replied.

Heat ran through my body as our lips met and her hands ran over the front of my shirt. I wanted to show her how much I loved her. And even though I knew, deep down inside and in the back of my mind, that this wasn't what I wanted to do right now, I couldn't bring myself to stop. So we didn't.

**What do you think? Sorry it took so long to get out! I hope you guys like this – I told you guys that the above scene would be very vague. But if you've read the book (and I'm assuming that you have) you know what's going on.**

**I sort of rushed through a bit of the book, which I hope is okay with you readers. Also, I'm uploading this without rereading, because I'm eager to get it out there for you guys. Leave me a review! Thanks for reading! Peace (:**


	11. Love and Death

**Eve – I've never liked Walter that much, either. There's something eerily creepy about the way that he wants to look like an old man. Not to mention the fact that in all Greek mythology-based books I've read, Zeus has always been of sour character.**

**Guest – (1) Sorry it's taken me so long! Distractions are way too easy to come by. (2) Um, I'm sorry? I'm not really sure what you mean. (3 & 4) Updating: Commencing. (; (5) Sorry! I'm updating, I promise! It's not been forgotten!**

**megan p123 – Teehee, I love cliffhangers. When I'm writing them, of course. Sorry it's taken me so long; I've been ridiculously busy. But here I am!**

**Sam – Thanks for reading! (;**

**All The Best People Are Mad – Suggestion noted. Aimee Carter doesn't go into much detail, so I don't. Plus, I don't think that Henry is the kiss and tell type. Haha :P But I will definitely attempt more details in a vague sort of way. (;**

**Huntress3419 – Thanks!**

**KC – Thanks! I love where it's going, too! We're getting to the end, though, which makes me sad. But I do, in fact, have another GT idea floating around in my overcrowded mind. (;**

**Magnatron's Crazy Sister – Don't pull your hair out! Here's chapter 11! Thanks for the wonderful review! (:**

**Carlie – I am, I am!**

**GaspILostATooth1 – Thanks so much! I love Henry, too. The series certainly did turn around my thoughts on Hades like no other series has done before. I absolutely love him. If I met a real life Henry, you can bet that I'd volunteer to stay with him for six months! :P I figured since Xander's passing was one of the tests mentioned at the end, then it had to be some hoax. Besides, he's a god! They don't just **_**pass into the beyond**_**, you know? Thanks for the eye color; it's good to have someone say that with conviction! Thanks so much! Oh, and, by the way… I LOVE NCIS. Gibbs is one of my heroes. As is Abby. And Tony. And Ziva. And McGee. And Ducky… (:**

**DisneyPrincess55 – Ooh, is it coming out in February? I thought it was May or March. One of those that start with an **_**M.**_** Lol (:**

**The Goddess Test Series belongs to Aimee Carter.**

_11: Love and Death_

When the morning light brushed through the curtains in Kate's room, I woke up in a slow sort of way. It was almost like I'd slept for an eternity and was so well rested that I didn't need a moment to fully wake. When I did, I realized why Kate's sheets were so soft on my skin. I was sure that my face showed my dismay the moment I realized and remembered what happened the night before: one big, horrible mistake.

Kate was wrapped up in my arms. Honestly, it felt like she belonged there, by my side. It was where only she had ever been. There was a moment when I thought about how truly beautiful Kate was. But the feeling was blocked out by another emotion. True horror. I'd done exactly what I'd sworn I would never do. I'd acted according to my own feelings and never thought about what Kate would have wanted. Why hadn't she said anything? Why hadn't she stopped me? Why had she just gone along with it, as if she wasn't in her right mind?

_Her right mind_. The thought passed through me and stuck, for some odd reason. It was almost as if something was pulling at my mind. And as I thought about it, I remembered a little piece of information that I hadn't remembered because I hadn't thought it was all that important at the time. When I'd taken my cup of hot chocolate from Calliope the night before, she had an eerie smile on her face. If I hadn't been so obsessed with Kate, maybe I wouldn't be so blindsided today. I should have known that it meant Calliope was up to something, and I should've known to set the mug down when I caught a scent that wavered over the rich smell of chocolate and marshmallows. It was sickly, I remembered, and didn't have any business being in hot chocolate to begin with.

Why hadn't it bothered me then? The answer was simple. Kate.

She stirred in my arms, and I realized that I hadn't moved at all since I'd woken up. She looked up at me, her eyes bright turquoise blue. Her lips curled up in a slight smile, like she didn't find anything wrong at all with what had happened, and whispered a morning greeting to me. Her face fell, though, when her eyes took in my face. Perhaps my feelings weren't as well hidden as I'd imagined they were. She moved to prop herself up on her elbow – I couldn't help but notice her slender arm and pale skin as she did so – and then a look of pain crossed her face as she winced and fell back onto her pillow.

There was definitely something going on.

With a speed that I usually tried to hide when I was around Kate, I got out of bed and made one of my black silk robes appear to me. Kate knew what I looked like more than I wanted her to at this point, but I was still a gentleman. Tying the robe around me, I watched her and asked her a few questions. Theories were floating in my mind, and none of them were too good. When she admitted that yes, she had a headache and felt a little achy, I knew that something had been done to us that lowered our inhibitions and made us do things that we would have never done otherwise.

I kept my eyes away from her and her dark hair and questioning eyes, looking up at me from underneath long, dark eyelashes. They were far too distracting. I knew she was watching me, though, as I picked up the mugs we'd taken our hot chocolate in the night before. She asked me what was going on; I didn't answer, because I wasn't too sure myself. But I was about to find out.

The inside of the mugs was a little bit of cold, white-brown liquid. The walls of the cups were coated in dry hot chocolate, little bursts of bubbles and flecks of chocolate powder. I lifted one mug to my face first, though, and took a deep breath. Around the sweet chocolate smell was the sickly scent that I'd picked out the night before but hadn't bothered to investigate then. I should've, though, and none of this would have happened. Kate wouldn't be looking at me like I'd gone crazy as I brought the other mug to my nose. It just confirmed what I thought – we'd been drugged, the both of us. I was certain that it wasn't anything meant to kill; Kate was still breathing. But it had acted like one of those haze-inducing drugs, the ones that changed what I thought and decided what was right and wrong for me. I'd seen plenty of people pass through the gates because of substance abuse. But it wasn't one of those, I knew. It was something else. As I thought about it, I thought of Ava, and the way she'd said that they created a word just for her. _Aphrodisiac_, she'd said proudly. _Because it makes people more willing to love_, she'd ended with a girly, light-headed giggle.

Turning, I hurled the two mugs across the room. Kate let out a little squeal as they shattered on the opposite wall, cold hot chocolate slipping down the wall paper, bits of cream-colored ceramic clinking to the floor. I was too busy being angry to pay attention to her, though. Because of one drug slipped into my hot chocolate, which Calliope should've _tested_, I'd done things that I hadn't wanted to do, things that I would've never tried to coerce Kate into doing, because they hadn't worked out so well for me last time.

Curses came out of my mouth. The first was in English, but once I thought about how rude it was for a man to curse in the presence of a lady, I changed to languages that I knew Kate would have no chance of knowing. Anger pulsed through me, and it was at times like this when I felt both indestructible and very broken, like I was Atlas with the weight of the world on my shoulders. For a second, I thought about the last time Atlas had had any visitors, but it was quickly gone and replaced with what had gone horribly wrong.

"_Calliope_!" I yelled. Where was she? Why hadn't she caught the drug? She should have smelled it like I had, and she should have taken the time to investigate where I hadn't. It was her _job_ to make sure that there were no drugs of any kind in what was served to Kate.

Within seconds, Nicholas was opening Kate's bedroom door. His eyes rested solely on me, never even glancing at Kate. He was bound to Ava completely, as far as I knew. I figured that he also knew that if I caught him looking at her, I would tear into him. Kate was mine and no one else's, as far as I was concerned. "In bed, she is ill." His voice was low, and I realized that he knew _exactly_ what had gone on last night. If there was a moment where I wasn't spitting mad, I might have been a little embarrassed, for Kate's sake.

I ordered Nicholas to watch her. Nobody but him was allowed in the room, and nobody was allowed out unless I'd given permission. And that meant Kate.

As my mind returned to her, I was suddenly aware of the fact that she was whispering my name. Fear was in her voice, I realized. Fear of me, or my outburst, or what we had done, I didn't know. But it was fear all the same. I'd thought that she'd broken my heart before, made me feel things that I never would have thought that she could.

And now I had another one to add to the list. True heartbreak was much worse than whatever pain I'd been feeling before. What I'd done I couldn't take back. It could mark the end of us as I knew it. Kate could ask to be let out of the deal. And that's what would be best, if she hated me the same way Persephone hated me after our wedding night.

"I'm sorry," I told her, meeting her eyes for the first time since I got up to smell the mugs. It wasn't enough, I knew. But it was something. "I am so very, very sorry." That was all I could think to say. It wasn't enough, but another word might be too much. With that, I turned and exited the room.

# # #

I hadn't been in the library in a long time. Or, at least it felt like that. I had been among the books just yesterday morning, without any clue in the world that everything would fall apart by the end of the day. I'd been so happy, I realized with a jolt, at the thought of seeing her again. Kate was… well, she was sunshine. She was the type of warmth that did away with cold winter and storm clouds. She was, I dared to say, the embodiment of spring. I wondered briefly if she did that naturally, or if it was something Diana had taught her.

Collapsing into my chair, I tried to think of a way to argue our case, should Kate still want to attempt the tests. Physical attributes had been what made Persephone hate me so; perhaps that was the same with Kate. The two sisters were very different, but I could see similarities in between them. Perhaps that was one thing they had in common. Perhaps Kate hated me, now, and hoped to fail the tests. She knew what they were – the seven deadly sins of man – and she was smart enough to put the pieces together on her own. All she had to do to fail as to resume eating, and everything would be over. One misstep, and it was done.

But that wasn't the truth, really, was it? We'd already made a misstep. One of the deadly sins was lust, and by what the two of us had done, it was obvious that it had won out over us. Sure, the two of us had a little push in that direction, but still, would the council see it with understanding? They claimed that they didn't want to see me fade, but every single one of them knew that if _one_ foot was stepped out of line, then everything would be over. Kate would return to the mortal world motherless and alone, and I would fade into the beyond, never to be seen or heard from again, only remembered in the hearts and minds of my family.

That was when it hit me. Should someone want Kate and me to fail, all they had to do was trick us into breaking a rule. With love comes lust, Ava once told me. If they'd seen the way I looked at Kate, knew that the two of us were spending more time together, then it would have been the first one to go to. Some she'd already passed, and others were undetermined. That meant that whoever drugged us _knew_. And the only ones that knew about the tests and their contents were the council.

Could Ava be right? She'd said that she believed it was sabotage. Could one of the council, one of my _family_, be attacking Kate? Could one of them kill eleven innocent girls, just because they were testing to be my wife and queen? My mind started going through the list of people. James was the first that came to mind, because he was vying for my spot as king of the underworld. But that didn't make any sense. He wouldn't want Kate to be… _marred_ by me for all eternity. And then there was Ella; she always complained about Kate because of the company she kept, the way she wasn't deep enough to share theories about the new world (although I knew that wasn't true in the least. Kate just didn't know about the old world first hand.) But Ella always wanted me to survive, I knew, because she hated the way her father broke his promise to honor his marriage. Theo, Xander, Nicholas, and Phillip loved Kate and had told me that they looked forward to the day that she would join our ranks. Ava….

Ava burst through the library door. I hadn't seen her in a few days – she was trying her best to stay away from me because of Kate's ruling – and stomped over to me. "Oh, my God, Henry. I heard what happened. I don't know whether to be thrilled or devastated. The _tests_…."

"I know," I said, not looking up at her. My finger traced the spine of a very, very old book. Lying to the council was out of the question. Nicholas knew, Ava knew. Everyone else would know, too, because if there was anything immortals liked it was gossip. Our family was made up of hundreds and hundreds of stories, and even though humans weren't writing them with as much seriousness as they used to, they were still all over the place. If Ava had to make up her own story to entertain herself and start an argument, she would.

Ava perched on the desk, pushing away piles of books to make room. "What are we going to do? You two _have_ to pass the test, because then the hundred years will be up and there's no time to find another girl –"

"There will be no other girls," I said. My voice was hard with conviction. I'd said that from the very beginning. Kate was the twelfth, and she would be the last one. Ava knew that. But she still acted offended at my tone. "There will never be any other girls. Kate is the final one."

"You know I didn't mean it like that, Henry." She said quietly. I didn't say anything. I wasn't really sure what she had meant. I wasn't willing to ask, either. "Just… what are we going to do? I mean, _I_ understand, totally. I always thought the rule was stupid myself. But will the council? They won't listen to you; you're too emotionally involved in everything. But they might listen to _me_. I'll argue with Ella and Calliope, I swear. And Daddy and everyone else, too. It's not _fair_."

Just then, Calliope appeared in the room. "Henry," she said softly. She looked ill, as if she was already planning to act the part. The aphrodisiac had affected me, too, but I guessed confidently that it didn't hurt me or Calliope as much as it hurt Kate. She was still mortal, after all, and it would affect her so much worse than the rest of us. "I'm so sorry. I should have waited a little longer before I gave you the hot chocolate. I just didn't feel _anything_. Not until later, and by time I realized what it was and what it could do, it was already too late. I was just _blindsided_ by it." I squinted at her. She just seemed so sincere. Almost, I thought, _too_ sincere.

But that was ridiculous, because this was Calliope.

"I really wanted to go talk to Kate myself and make my apologies, but Nicholas told me that I needed to get permission from you first, because of everything."

I stood there, looking into the blue eyes of my sister, and finally gave a short nod. She was obsessive about me, I knew, but that was because Walter didn't give her the type of loyalty she needed. I'd _always_ been on her side. My brother and I had never gotten along, and that defined our alliances. Calliope had always been nice to me, always thought things through before acting, always negotiated before giving herself to something. She was honorable and loyal, and it had gotten her nothing but two sons and an ally in me.

I gave a short nod.

She smiled, "Thanks," and was gone.

Ava stood there. Calliope hadn't even looked over at her, and Ava hadn't said a word. But I could tell, now, that she found something unsettling. She looked back at me, a thin worry line in between her eyebrows, and said, "I don't know about you, but she's up to something."

"She wants to give her apologies to Kate," I said. "I messed up. I made a mistake. But Calliope feels that she had a part in it. She's just being thoughtful, Ava." I said.

Ava watched me for a moment. "Okay. So you won't mind if I watch Kate. You know, just to make sure that she's okay?"

I shrugged. Nicholas was supposed to watch her, but if Ava wanted to join in, that was fine with me. "Don't let her see you." I said.

Ava sneered in my general direction. "Seriously? Here you are, moping about what happened between you and Kate because you're paranoid that she's going to drop you like _she_ did." I had no trouble figuring out who she meant by "she." Persephone. "In case you haven't noticed, Kate's nothing like _her._ Kate's loyal, and honest, and she freaking _loves_ you. But instead of noticing that, you're going to pretend that she hates you. You know why? _Because you hate yourself_. Stop being so lame, Henry. Open your eyes and actually _look_. Get out of the stupid past and move forward. Before I decide to put a curse on you, or something." She hissed. I couldn't remember the last time I'd seen her so mad.

"If you're done being stupid, I'll have you know that I've been looking out for Kate. You think you have, but you haven't seen what I've seen. Something bad is coming, Henry. She's almost made it to the finish line. And you know as well as I do that someone wants her gone. And they won't give up now. And I don't trust _them_." She said, gesturing to the door. "If you're going to trust anyone, trust Theo, or Xander, or Nicholas, or Phillip. Trust _me._" With that, she left the library, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

# # #

I didn't go see Kate that night. I was convinced she hated me like Persephone did.

Maybe Ava was right, though.

Maybe I just hated myself.

# # #

Calliope told me that she was taking Kate out for a picnic, despite the fact that Kate wasn't supposed to be eating. But almost as if she felt the question in my mind (why go for a picnic when you're not supposed to eat?) she assured me that just because it was called a picnic didn't mean they had to eat. She planned to take a checkered blanket out by the river (again, something I thought was strange but dismissed) because it was one of the prettiest spots on the manor. It was Calliope's idea of getting Kate's mind off of things. She didn't say that Kate hated me, or that she was counting down the days until the council officially failed her. I figured that maybe she was just being nice, sparing my feelings.

Calliope promised to take Nicholas and Kate's puppy, Pogo, with them for extra protection. Cerberus perked up at Pogo's name, as if he missed his friend. I had half a mind to tell Calliope to take him out, as well. Just because Kate hated me now didn't mean that she would shun Cerberus. She was far too kind for that. But I didn't, because I wanted at least some form of companionship. Ella was with Theo, Xander was probably out starting a party somewhere, and Phillip was tending to the horses. Nicholas and Calliope were going to be with Kate. James hadn't been seen around the manor after the two of us fought and he revealed his identity to Kate. He did, however, show up at some of the meetings, though not all. I wouldn't want to spend any extra time with Walter if he was the last competent person on the planet.

And Ava wasn't speaking to me. At all.

I wasn't sure what time it was, just that I hadn't slept in hours. Calliope had probably already retrieved Kate from her room. I couldn't count the number of times that I had to reread the paragraph I was attempting. She was just in my mind, all the time. Her face alone was accompanied with a warmth that I could only ever remember having with Kate.

I thought about the time that she told me she loved me. I thought about the fact that I'd almost said it back to her. But I hadn't, because I wasn't sure. I thought I loved Persephone, but that had felt so different from what I felt with Kate. I wasn't a master of love. I didn't know much of anything, like Ava did. My expertise was in death. I wondered if what I felt for Kate was love. I guessed that it was, but if that was true, then what had I felt for Persephone?

That thought swirled around and around in my mind. Maybe that was the reason that I didn't hear my family whispering words in my mind. But finally, someone broke through. I recognized the voice right away. For a moment, I was shocked that she was even talking to me. She'd made it very clear that she was angry with me.

_She's done it, Henry. It's her. Henry? Can you hear me? CanyouhearmeHenryit'sherandshe'sgoingtodosomethingbad!_ Her words were so forced, so fast, so loud that I couldn't even make out what she was saying. Ava sounded panicked. She never _ever_ sounded panicked. Standing up so suddenly that I pushed a book off the table, I started for the door before realizing that Ava's words were getting jumbled not only by her emotion, but also because Nicholas was trying to talk to me at the same time.

_Calliope brought food, Henry. She said she wasn't going to. Kate said she wasn't going to eat._ Then, a few moments later, _they sent me away. They want to talk about… what happened._

And then, moments later, it was static. I was in the forest before I knew it, looking for Ava and Nicholas. Nicholas should have never left Kate, even though she was with Calliope. I would have preferred that she had the extra protection. My eyes scanned the forest, and then I heard, _It's her. It's her. It'sherit'sherit'sherit'sher!_

Ava. She was sitting on a bench, howling the same thing that she was screaming in my mind. The double attack was deafening. But I realized that she was being held back by Nicholas, and she was trying to get past him. Despite his limp, he was able to stand strong and keep her back. She was angry, but she was distraught, too. She was trying to explain something to Nicholas, I realized.

"What happened?" I demanded.

"Kate!" Ava screeched loudly. I turned and looked towards the river. I turned and ran, my coat flapping behind me in the wind. I reached the bubbling river but couldn't see Calliope or Kate.

"Nicholas!" It was undoubtedly Kate's voice, and she sounded frightened. It tore at my heartstrings. I turned towards her voice and ran. And ran. I realized that Nicholas was right behind me, limping. Ava had followed, and she was urging Nicholas on after me.

We arrived just in time to see Calliope plunge something long and metallic into Kate's chest, just in time to see her hiss something at the girl I knew suddenly that I undoubtedly loved, just in time to see my sister push bloodied, injured Kate into the cold river. Ava was screaming, I realized as Kate sunk beneath the surface. I had no idea what she was saying. But I did see Nicholas tear across the distance and tackle Calliope to the ground. She yelled at him, saying that he was breaking her loyalty to her as her son by attacking her. I dropped to the river bank right where I stood.

My Kate, my beautiful, loving, warm Kate, was dead.

**Holy cow, you guys. I just realized that this is the **_**second to last**_** chapter. **_**THE SECOND TO LAST**_**. (Excuse my capitals.) I'm just so excited. I've never, ever, **_**ever**_** finished a FanFiction before. It's sort of sad.**

**But at least we have one more chapter at least!**

**So. I moved kind of fast through the remaining chapters, but it sort of moves fast in the book. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy it. Thanks for reading and sticking with it for so long!**

**You guys are used to the fact that I upload without editing by now, I'm sure. So yeah, pardon the errors. Leave me a review! Peace (:**


	12. Verdict

**Wendy – Are you saying that you're upset that Calliope was the murderer, or upset by the way I wrote it? If you're talking about the former, I completely agree. She was honestly one of the last people I'd ever suspected (though I did figure out that the council members were the gods and goddesses beforehand because I flipped to the back to see how many pages there were, noticed the list, and couldn't keep from reading it. If you're talking about the latter, all I can say in this moment is that I'm sorry. (;**

**megan p123 – I know! I can't believe we're almost to the end myself. I've debated on whether or not this chapter is to be the last, but we'll have to see once I start writing, you know? I don't know for sure if I'm planning on writing the rest of the series in Henry's POV. When I first started this fanfiction, I'd already decided that I was only going to write Goddess Test in this fashion. You're not the first person to ask me this, though, so I admit that my decision might be swayed. It all depends on how many people really are gunning for a fanfic sequel. Unfortunately, it would be put on the backburner; I have so many other fanfictions already posted that I absolutely **_**need**_** to finish, and I have several more that I'm planning on posting once I finished the aforementioned fanfictions. I am not Aimee Carter's clone (at least, I don't think I am.) But thank you so much for saying so. (:**

**iluvmycorgi22 – Wow, the same question keeps appearing again and again. As I mentioned in the above comment, I'm not sure if I plan on doing the rest of the Goddess Test series. For more explanation, look up. (;**

**DisneyPrincess55 – Aye, aye! **

**Moe – Thanks! I have to add a special thanks for jumping in this late in the fanfiction. Not many people are willing to read through tons of chapters. All of my stories are in first person; it's literally been **_**years**_**, maybe even a **_**decade**_**, since I've attempted third person omniscient. **

**Eve – I like exploring what Henry could possibly be thinking. He's more eloquent than my other characters, so it's fun to try and use a bigger vocabulary, lol! I always try to respond to each review, especially when questions are asked. I've never really liked Walter, and honestly, I was never really a big fan of Calliope's. According to goodreads, **_**Goddess Inheritance**_** is supposed to come out March 26, 2013. And it looks **_**good**_**.**

**lillyrosenight – Thanks for jumping in this late in the show! Have no fear, though, I'm thinking about writing other GT fanfiction. I've already started to write it, but I'm still trying to figure out the plot. If it all works out, you can expect to see it here!**

**Huntress3419 – I mentioned that this chapter might be the last, but after looking at what I have left, **_**this one**_** might be the second to last. However, I'm not for sure. You'll find out when you get to the bottom of the page. (;**

**KC – I'm attempting it, I promise!**

**CookiesHealAllWounds – First of all, your username is amazing. And very, very true. Second, thank you! I think Henry might be one of the most complex characters that I've ever written. Period.**

**Guest – (1) I'll think about doing the next book; honestly, if I did do it it would have to be pushed back behind a handful of other projects I'm doing. (2) Thanks!**

**Aubrey1207 – In a way, I can't wait for it to end because it would mean that I'm actually finished with it. But again, I'm sort of sad to see it end, too.**

**Esin of Sardis – I have read **_**Goddess Legacy**_**. I thought it was a pretty good way to see into everyone else's character. For me, though, I thought Henry's was lacking. Maybe it was because my hopes were up so high. I love Ava, and was never really a fan of James (even though he's the main person in one of my maybe-upcoming fanfictions.) Lol, I love the Avengers, and I hadn't thought of that until you said it. Now I won't be able to **_**not**_** think about it when I'm catching up on my own reading. I haven't read **_**Radiant Darkness**_**, but I found it online and added it to be my book list. Thanks for the suggestion! I've already read Meg Cabot's **_**Abandon**_** series, and I love it! I can't wait until the next one!**

**** NOTE: It is indeed true that the next book comes out in February!**

**The Goddess Test Series belongs to Aimee Carter.**

_12: Verdict_

Misery. I thought I knew what that meant, but as I sat there, staring at the limp body of the woman I undeniably had come to love with everything that I was, I realized that I didn't know as much as I thought I did. Nicholas had his strong arms wrapped around Calliope as she fought against his hold. Everything was sort of blurry, as if there was a thick, invisible wall between all of us, blocking me from seeing and hearing and feeling clearly. Tears, I realized after a dazed moment, had come to Calliope's eyes. Perhaps it was because of what she'd done. Or maybe it was because she had been caught. My eyes drifted to Ava, who was crying, tears running down her cheeks, splotching her skin pink. She had rushed into the river, wading in and ruining her clothes, to pull Kate out onto the bank. She was simultaneously holding her fingers to Kate's neck and looking over her shoulder to yell obscenities at Calliope. Her other hand was pressed against Kate's chest, trying to staunch the bleeding. But I already knew, just by standing there, that Kate's soul had left this dimension. I had wanted her first real visit (discounting the one where I showed her what could possibly be her eternity) to the Underworld to be something amazing, a walk that she took to that brightly-colored stone in the middle of the foyer as my wife and queen. Somehow, in the midst of the deaths of the other girls, after Christmas it had never really crossed my mind that Kate would be gone forever.

Nicholas nearly had Calliope in a choke hold. I could see darkness in her eyes from where I kneeled. Ava stood up shakily and turned to me. I hadn't moved forward at all. I was still crouched on the ground, staring at Kate's body, and the way her blue eyes were halfway closed, the chalky white pallor of her skin, the way her hair looked black when it was wet, spread across the ground. Water seeped from her clothes into the dirt, and her blood was a large red stain on her shirt. There was nothing I could do, not anymore. She had passed from her mortal life, not in the way I'd wanted.

Ava came up to me. One of her hands was slicked with watered-down blood, dripping from her fingertips as she reached hurriedly for me. I flinched away almost immediately, ducking away from Kate's blood. I already had her blood on my hands metaphorically. I didn't want it literally. Ava stopped coming towards me, but her eyes were shining. "Ella's gone to get Diana." She said. I stared at her blankly. I didn't want my sister, my favorite sister, at that, to see the way that I had failed. Not this time. "You know what has to be done." She said. Ava's eyes were bloodshot, rimmed in red, her lips downturned in a grief-stricken frown.

Suddenly, Diana was there, her arm in Ella's tight hold. The two of them must have teleported here, to the river. I looked up at my sister, watching the way her eyes took in her daughter. Tears prickled them as she pulled away from Ella. She stalked over to me, her eyes blazing with fury. She sent a hard glare in Calliope's direction, and then dropped in front of me. Her fingers were gentle as they latched onto mine. "I'm still mortal, Henry. The Underworld works on the basis of a life for a life. I only accepted a mortal life for her, anyway." Her eyes looked into mine, searching. I didn't say anything. Diana pulled on my arm hard. "We've got to go, before it's too late. Take me down there, _now_."

Ava's hand, the one that hadn't been covered in Kate's blood, touched my shoulder. "Hurry," she whispered. "Before the boat leaves. I'll make sure that Nicholas keeps Calliope from going anywhere. Daddy is sure to be furious," she added. A deep, detached part of me wondered how true that statement was. Walter was ingenious when it came to twisting everyone's arms. He pretended to be something he wasn't, and usually got his way. How much would he really care that his wife had killed all twelve girls? Unless he knew she did it for me. Then he would be raging.

Diana's fingers tightened on mine as I stood up. I didn't give Kate's body another look, but I managed a choked out, "I'm sorry." I had no idea who it was directed to, if it was Kate, or Diana, or even Ava, for not believing her when she was right all along. But I said it, and then steeled myself. I hadn't returned to the Underworld in months. I had a strong, craving need to be back home, where I belonged. I just wished it was under different circumstances. Perhaps I could change that, though. I closed my eyes briefly, managing to see Diana do the same, and then we were no longer in the mortal realm.

# # #

The boat had already left. I stopped and glanced over to my sister, only to find that she wasn't with me, either. I hoped that the two of them were together. Maybe Diana had enough suppressed powers to move herself around the realm of the Underworld the way the rest of us did. My sister knew the secrets to the maze of death and gloom, just like I did.

I glanced out over the water. To me, it looked like a pool of green-gray water. There was absolutely no clarity in it at all as it lapped against the shore. It was easy to imagine the souls of millions that were trapped underneath, waiting to come crawling back out. That wasn't where they were, but it could still be imagined. I took a deep breath, my eyes scanning the gray stones that surrounded me, the empty expanse of pure nothing. If there was no scene around me, it meant that there were no souls nearby. Which meant Kate was farther than I imagined.

I closed my eyes, imagined the destination, and felt my body disperse before collecting together in a different place. Before I opened my eyes, I could already tell that I was in some soul's ever after. Warm sun beat down on my skin, the light behind my eyelids was orange instead of dull gray, and there was a gentleness to my surroundings that said this was someplace safe. When I opened my eyes, I recognized where I was immediately. Kate's eternity. She was somewhere close, most likely in the water, on the boat that transferred her from the living realm to the dead. If we were lucky, Diana would be with her, since her mortal form was at stake and most likely, empty. Perhaps they were traveling to the land of the dead together. Without my sister present, I couldn't bend the rules and make a trade, which is what Diana was saying when she told me that she was still mortal. I couldn't just take Kate out of the Underworld. When a human body dies, a soul makes its place among the others. I couldn't rip one out without leaving one behind.

Squinting into the sun, I could see a small wooden boat on the expanse of the Central Park lake. In it, Kate sat on one of the benches, Diana huddled around her, hugging her. I swallowed hard. I didn't see every soul that passed through the Underworld gates, just the ones that didn't know what awaited them in their afterlife. Kate had never really seemed unready, if the word had any sense. She seemed to know that even if she didn't get an immortal life with me, that she would most likely be happy elsewhere. Maybe she even though that Diana would be with her. But her mother's mortal body wouldn't have a soul imprint. With her being a goddess, she would just return to her divine form. But Kate hadn't been gifted immortality, so she didn't have any way out but this.

The boat glided up onto shore. Diana looked up from where her face had been buried in Kate's hair. She seemed to be saying a million words to me in just that glance. I knew that this was not final; I would see Diana again. But the chances that Walter would let me bend my own rules without some type of rebuttal were slim. And there wasn't a guarantee that Kate would be granted immortality. I might fade after all, and Kate would return to an empty world, with no memory of what had happened here, and without her mother. Diana did not hesitate to sacrifice her mortal form for Kate's, but there was no way for us to make sure that Kate could forever stay within my protection. It was a game of risk, but we were willing to take it.

Diana pulled away from Kate, and I reached forward to grab a hold of her. She couldn't stay in the boat with Diana, not unless she wanted her mortal form to forever die, as well. It was the first time I touched her since that unfortunate night we were drugged. I still felt the little bursts of energy in my skin as I lifted her up. Kate made a sluggish noise, probably her body's reaction to being in the Underworld for so long. We needed to move on; she needed the healing that the surface promised her. "I've got her." I said. My voice came out as if it were being squeezed, choked.

"Thank you," Diana said softly. But I knew my sister well enough that she wasn't done. She looked up into my eyes, a million words, a million promises passing between us. "Take care of her, Henry." She said. She didn't ask me to promise on it. She knew it was unfair to make me promise on something that was virtually out of my hands.

"I will," I said anyway. I refused to let Walter take Kate away from me. I would fight for her harder than I'd fought for anything before, and that included Persephone. My first wife was a dim light compared to her sister, I realized, even though it wasn't certain whether or not I'd get the chance to keep her. I swallowed hard as mother and daughter said their final mortal goodbyes. Kate clung to me as I lifted her effortlessly in my arms, holding her tight against my chest. This might be the last time I'd get to hold her like that, I thought, and so I relished the moment despite our morbid predicament. Kate's arms latched around my neck despite her tired state of mind, and she craned her neck to look down at her mother in the boat. I gave Diana one last look, promising her that I would do my best until she could be seen again, knowing that she would do her part to fight for Kate's immortality. Hopefully, she would be enough to sway a verdict of immortality.

Diana gave an almost imperceptible nod as I turned. A nearby tunnel would lead me right to my castle, where I could take the portal up to the surface, back to Eden Manor, where this had all begun. Kate craned her neck to look over my shoulder at this disappearing form of her mother. Her blue eyes were sad, but there was a wisdom and understanding in them that aged her. I fought the urge to hug her to my chest and kiss her wildly. I fought against the urge to promise her that she was getting out of the Underworld, and that I would do everything possible to keep her with me. Maybe she didn't want that anymore. And even if she didn't, I knew I still loved her with everything that I was. I glanced down at Kate as we neared the castle, only to find that her eyes had closed and her breathing had deepened. Allowing myself a moment, I leaned forward and kissed her temple very softly before heading back up to the mortal world.

# # #

"Do you think she'll be okay?" Ava whispered. She'd changed clothes, and her hands were clean of Kate's blood. She looked like she was in the state of perfection, except for the line of worry in between her eyebrows. Nicholas stood behind her, his hand on her elbow. I couldn't read the expression on his face, but I was sure his thoughts were somewhere else, perhaps on his mother. Walter, to my surprise, had been absolutely furious when he figured out that Calliope had been behind all the killings. A part of it, I had to admit, was probably because he wasn't very pleased with the fact that Calliope had been doing it because she'd wanted to take the place of Queen of the Underworld, since Walter had cast her out of her leadership of the skies so long ago. He, like most of the others in the manor, had taken a spot in Kate's bedroom where she rested, still unconscious.

I stared down at her pale skin, at her long lashes, at the dark wave of hair that fanned over the pillow. Walter had suggested giving her bits of ambrosia, not enough to actually kill her, but enough to help her healing process along. It was risky, but her life still hung in the balance, despite the fact that I'd traded her life for Diana's. I'd finally allowed it after I realized that Walter was indeed waiting for my permission. He had never waited for my thoughts on anything before acting out. He had taken the position of god of the skies without taking into account what Phillip and I would want, and he chased after Calliope without considering how she would feel about his inability to commit, he'd started adding to the council at about the same time he unofficially cut me out of it, and he decided that I would suffer the deaths of the girls that were contenders for being my queen. But this time, he asked. And I was so surprised that I let him do exactly what he wanted.

"She should be," I murmured. The others came and went, but I was always in the room. Ava would be, too, if Nicholas didn't force her to leave and get her own rest. I'd never seen Ava so vigilant before. Even Ella didn't bother her as they stood across from each other, looking down at Kate. Her breathing was soft and slow and content, and that alone made me feel like I'd won something. Kate had cheated death. Death by the hands of someone that I had called my family. Anger surged through me all over again, as it was prone to doing at random times whenever I thought about Calliope. She was locked away in a room, by Walter's orders. When Kate awoke, one of her tests would be wrath, and we would see if Kate had any spot of blackness in her heart – she was the one that was supposed to issue Calliope's punishment.

Ava stayed by the bedside long after the others had left. Long after Nicholas had left, even. Once there was silence, Ava looked over Kate. Apparently deciding that she was sufficiently knocked out, she whispered, "I've talked to Daddy, about the aphrodisiac. Calliope put it in there, she had to. Daddy says that he has a lot to think about. And we haven't tested her for pride, yet. I have the feeling that he's going to twist things around. You know Daddy." She said. I did. Walter liked to play games, liked to twist words and opinions and anything else to get what he wanted. While that was usually something that I found utterly disgusting in him, I had high hopes. He had never shown it, but it was clear that he did care for Kate. At first, I thought that maybe it was because Calliope had caused this in a fit of jealous rage that he stayed and offered any help. But it became apparent over time that he liked Kate just as much as the others did. Perhaps, if he wanted her to join the ranks of the immortal as much as Ava did, he would overlook something that had not truly been our fault.

When I didn't say anything, Ava sighed. "Ella and I corroborated for once. We chose out a white dress for Kate. It's just _perfect_. I mean, white is the color of mortal weddings. It means _pure_," she said. As soon as the words were out, she hesitated, then added, "I've never met anyone with a purer soul than hers." Even though I didn't want to smile, I couldn't help let a tiny grin find its way to my lips. Ava, unlike the others, was thrilled about the result of the aphrodisiac. But she wouldn't say anything about it, because the others weren't too pleased about it.

The two of us sat there for a while, staring down at Kate. When I was alone with her, I liked to reach out touch her, just to make sure that she was still there, still alive. Her skin was soft, as was her hair. I hadn't realized how much I craved Kate's company until she was in no state to speak to me. I wished that I could find out what was going on inside her mind, what she was seeing. Certainly, she didn't see Diana anymore. Maybe she saw nothing. I had no idea what one would see when they were on the brink of death.

"I'm sorry," Ava said suddenly. I looked up at her. She shrugged and glanced away from me. I guessed that she didn't want me to see the hurt in her eyes, but I could still hear it in her voice. "I should've called for you earlier. I told you that I was going to watch Kate because something fishy was going on, and I did. I had the feeling that it was one of us, but I didn't tell you until it was too late. Sometimes I wonder how I couldn't have known it was Calliope, especially since she said that she killed all of those girls, killed _Kate_, because she loved you. I sat there and wondered what was wrong with me, why I couldn't tell that she was so in love with you, and then I finally realized why. She doesn't love you, Henry, though she likes to say that she does. There's a fine line between obsession and love, and she clearly crossed it hundreds of years ago. I'm sorry I didn't see it before. And I'm sorry that I didn't let you know what was going on with Kate. I feel like if I'd just _told_ you that you loved her, and that she loved you, there wouldn't be so much _confusion_."

I held my breath. Ava said that she wished she told me that Kate _loved_ me. I wondered if that was purposely said in a way that would sound so past tense, like maybe she didn't still love me. I internally chastised myself for being so picky about it. I was sure that Ava hadn't meant it like that. But given my past, I wanted conviction. "I never knew love was so… messy." I finally said.

Ava smiled a little ruefully. "That's what's so great about it. It's what makes it so beautiful. There's this thing that humans say: _find beauty in perfection_. But I don't think that's the case at all. There's just something so mesmerizing about a mess, I think. Something wonderful. It isn't set in stone. There are emotions everywhere, and feelings that you can't name. It wouldn't be love if it was perfect." Before I could answer, she cocked her head to the side, listening intently. "Nicholas is calling me. He says there's going to be an impromptu council meeting. Walter says that you should stay here and watch Kate. I'll be back." She promised, resting a hand on my shoulder before leaving the room.

I sighed, running my fingers down to Kate's. She was unresponsive, but her skin was warm. I wrapped my fingers around hers. We were a mess, I knew. We were far from perfect. But perhaps what was between us was the true, pure love that Ava spoke so fondly of. Maybe, we would find a way to make it burn instead of letting it wither. I made a resolution with myself, then. I wouldn't just sit back and let Kate be taken away from me. I thought that I'd given up so much to give her a chance, but in reality, it was her who had given up things for me, and it was high time that I return the notion.

# # #

Almost everyone had gathered in Kate's bedroom like they did every day in the early afternoon. But somehow, it was like we all knew that something was going to change. And we were right, because after a little while, Kate's face, which had been passive, twitched into one that was slightly painful, like she was coming out of whatever darkness had a hold on her. She shifted ever so slightly, enough that I had to hold myself back from lurching to her side. The others whispered around me, and then Kate finally opened her eyes. Their blue depths were a color that I could have sworn only existed there. I was hopelessly relieved to see them again.

Kate's eyes went around the room before resting on me. "Am I dead?" She asked, her voice more a croak than the beautiful sound I was so used to hearing. I couldn't help but wince, but I promised her that she was, in fact, alive. Understanding came over Kate's face – she had just realized that the goodbye she'd had with her mother was Diana leaving her, not her leaving Diana. She tried to sit up, but Walter was there, pushing her back down and feeding her warm ambrosia. Her eyes never met me, and while that thrilled me, it also broke my resolve. She was hurt, and she was looking to me for comfort. Perhaps she found some, but I couldn't do anything more than what I was for her.

I hated feeling that helpless.

She said my name, and I told her to sleep. I promised her that I would be there when she woke up; there was no way that I was leaving her side. She needed me, and I needed her. We were two people that wouldn't survive without each other. I couldn't believe that it had taken me this long to figure out.

# # #

When Kate next woke up, it was morning. She asked me about what had happened down in the Underworld, and I gave her a vague explanation. I had traded her death for her mother's, something that was frowned upon but wasn't exactly impossible. There were rules to the dead that I had to follow, but there were rules of my own that I could decide to bend whenever a good enough reason occurred. They had very rarely been broken, but this time I hadn't even thought it through before I decided what was going to happen. Diana had offered her death for Kate's, and I'd taken it. I would not, under any circumstances, let Kate be taken away from me. I needed her more than I ever knew.

We talked about Calliope, and the nightmares she had sent Kate to suffer through. She was locked away in one of the rooms; Theo, Xander, and Nicholas were all standing guard. I was always at Kate's side these days, and since we'd already figured out that it was Calliope trying to kill Kate, our need for bodyguards was nonexistent. But they were all too happy to make sure that Calliope was stuck in her cell for a change. I worried that Nicholas would feel bad about the fact that he was the reason his mother was there, but our family ties weren't really that tight. Still, they had to be careful, because Calliope could unweave the loyalty ties we _did_ have.

As we spoke, I tried to convey to Kate how much I cared about her, how lost I would've been without her. It had come to attention recently that she was my everything. But I couldn't find the way to say it without sounding like I expected her to say the same thing to me. I wanted to know if she really did love me, not if she was just willing to pretend she did. We talked about the possible failure, and then the night that the two of us had been drugged. I apologized for scaring her that morning instead of approaching the topic calmly.

And then the most amazing thing happened. Kate told me, "Even if I failed, I still love you, you know." I hadn't asked her to tell me that, I hadn't told it to her first. It hadn't been in past tense, as if she'd loved me but decided that I wasn't worth it. It was _then_, in the moment. She really did love me, just like Ava had said she did. It wasn't the first time Kate had said it to me, but for the first time, I knew that it was true on my side, too. But the words just wouldn't come. I was too giddy inside to say them, too calculating on what she meant by them. Apparently, I took too long, and she sighed, closing her eyes.

She was staring to fall asleep when I leaned forward, my lips almost touching her ear. "I love you, too." The words were whispered, but they were true, and I knew that they were more powerful than anything I had ever encountered before. Sitting back with relief, I watched _my_ beautiful, beloved Kate.

# # #

It was the day. Today, we would find out if the council intended to let Kate join the ranks of immortality. For the past week, I'd been at Kate's side every moment. We talked and played cards, and once, she even asked me if I would allow her to visit the manor, should she fail. I hadn't the guts to tell her that if she failed, I would never be seen again. I didn't tell that to her, though, and instead we pretended like we had all the time in the world. But the spring equinox would be closing in, and after today, Kate would either leave as my wife or leave without recall of who I was.

I had left Kate's side, for once, to get dressed. Ava said that she and Ella needed to dress her in the white dress they'd chosen. I tried to wait patiently for when they called for me, but I couldn't. I ended up standing outside her bedroom door, waiting for them to say that they would go get me. When Ella asked Kate if she should go get me, I didn't wait. I just opened the door myself and said, "No need." Ella and Ava looked at me, and then back to Kate. "Girls, you are dismissed." I said. Ella and Ava turned to leave, Ava hesitating to say something to Kate. Ella rolled her eyes at me as she slipped out of the bedroom door, Ava behind her.

Ava had told me little of the council meeting that she'd left to attend a week ago. She'd just said that I was to keep my mouth shut and wait to see what would happen. I didn't like those terms, but my fate was at the mercy of the council, so it wasn't like I was in any position to argue.

Kate and I spoke softly as I led her to the throne room. And then I left her there, alone for just a moment, to retrieve my family members. I couldn't imagine that shock that Kate would get when she realized that the council was made up of people that she'd come to know and love as friends. Perhaps she would even be angry that she'd been so blatantly lied to.

As I pushed open the door to where the council was waiting, I looked over my family members. All of them were here, including James. My eyes continued to scan them, and then I saw something that made the anger and hatred deep inside me twist and turn. Sitting next to Walter, in a place that she'd more than once claimed was rightfully hers, was my sister, the one that I would have rather faded than ever see again. I'd even promised Kate that she would never have to see Calliope, who _murdered_ her, ever again. And here she was, in my house, somewhere where I had said she would be kicked out of the moment that Kate gained immortality and was protected from her.

Ava smiled at me brightly, but I could tell in her gaze that she hadn't wanted Calliope to attend either. I could tell that the others were just as uncomfortable at the turn of events that I was, they just didn't say anything. Nobody had said a single thing about Calliope being here. I hadn't had time to prepare Kate that she would even be here at all. "She's not welcome here." I said suddenly. Everyone stopped what they were doing to look at me. I myself was surprised at the ferocity of my words, but I meant every one of them.

Walter stood up. "Brother, she is a part of this council. She is the one that created the test in the first place."

I turned on my heel and started walking away, but they all followed. Walter followed right behind me.

"No. I made her a promise, and I have no intention of breaking it."

"It was not your promise to make." Walter said darkly. I wanted to turn around and rip him to shreds. If Kate had tried to kill Calliope, then he wouldn't even be letting her breathe. "She is one of us, and she will stay."

"She is not welcome in my home," I reiterated.

"Either she stays or we all go." Walter said, his eyes hard as he looked at me. I knew that only a part of this was due to the fact that Calliope really was a part of the council. The other part had much more to do with the fact that Walter wanted to prove to me and the others that just because I was the oldest didn't mean I decided what goes. Walter as my youngest brother, yet he liked to think that he was the one in charge of us all.

_Don't prod him, Henry. You need his vote._ Ava's voice was soft as it floated over my mind, like water running down rocks. She gave me a look from where she stood in the line of my family waiting to take their thrones. I could just barely hear Kate shuffling nervously on the other side of the thrones. She had no idea what was going on here.

My eyes met Calliope's. She didn't look particularly interested in anything. It made me want to attack her.

Turning, I channeled all of the anger that I was holding back and slammed a fist into the wall. "Fine," I muttered. "But she leaves the instant it is over."

Walter surprised me then. "Agreed," he said. I stood there for a shocked moment before turning my back to him and walking back over to Kate. I wanted to get to her before Calliope made her grand appearance. Kate would surely need my support. It couldn't be easy to look into the eyes of your killer.

I apologized as I drew nearer, leaning down to kiss her cheek. It had been easier over the past week to try and show her just how much I truly loved her. I put a hand on Kate's shoulder, pushing away the urge to draw her into my side and push her behind me for extra protection. I introduced her, and then they all came out in a procession, taking their thrones easily.

I consoled Kate while she tried to digest all of the information thrown her way. She looked shocked, but she didn't necessarily look scared. She just looked a little more… nervous. We started the council meeting by having Calliope step forward. I told Kate that she was the only surviving victim of Calliope's attacks, therefore she was the one that decided her fate. I waited, almost impatiently, to hear what she had to say. Ava had told me that this was one of her tests, and I was determined not to let it show on my face.

Finally, Kate gave her verdict – Calliope was to spend time with the previous eleven girls that she had killed. She was supposed to see them as a person, not just as a girl who threatened to take my heart. And after she succeeded with the eleven girls, she was supposed to move on with her existence, staying away from me and Kate. Calliope's faced pinched up a little bit, and tears came to her eyes. I had the feeling that Calliope thought it was fair. Perhaps she would have hoped that Kate would scream at her, enough that my sister could accuse her of having wrath that was unmatched by any other. But Kate was just as sweet as she usually was. It was another pass for her, I was sure. I said that I would uphold Kate's ruling, and James surprised me by seconding it.

Then our fate's came to a head as Walter commenced the verdict on whether or not Kate was to become one of the immortal.

Irene passed her on her test of sloth.

Sofia passed her on her test of greed.

Ella passed her own her test of gluttony, while pointing out that it was almost thrown out because I'd told her, and because Kate had been unconscious for most of her time here. Still, she decided that she wasn't going to eat any more, and not a single morsel of food had passed her lips.

Ava passed her on her test of envy, though I myself thought that she was being a little biased. Her test was a stretch, but I didn't say anything, and neither did the rest of the council.

Surprisingly, Calliope passed her on her test of wrath.

I looked to my brother, the youngest who wanted to be the greatest. He looked at Kate for a moment, and then announced that she had failed on the test of lust. The word punched me hard, and my mouth suddenly went dry. The panic I felt wasn't unfamiliar, but it was something that I had never felt until I met Kate. "Brother," I said, stepping forward. "I would like to contest the council's ruling on this." Ava gave me a warning look, but I pressed on. Finally, she snapped, _Shut up, Henry. It's her test of pride. So if you want her to pass, you will step back and agree_.

I hesitated for a moment, before sighing and stepping back. The rest of it rested with Kate. We all knew that she was a fighter. If she thought this was wrong, she would fight for the truth. And that worried me, crushed me deep down inside. If she couldn't agree, we would certainly fail. I wished that I could tell her.

Just as we all expected, Kate tried to argue. She tried to stand up, to face Walter head on. It had been many years since I'd seen anyone try to face my brother head on, face-to-face. "Kate," I whispered. Walter cut her off, spitting out a few words in a way that made my skin itch with the need to tell him to tone it down. Finally, he asked if she accepted the failure. I tensed, waiting for her answer.

"I accept that the council has chosen to fail me, yes, and I understand what it means. But I don't think it's fair that you're doing this to Henry and if there's anything I can do to change your minds, I'll do it."

_Be quiet_, I wanted to tell her. _Just wait and see what's going to happen next_. Kate apologized, but I didn't meet her gaze. Diana was supposed to be here by now. Where was she?

Just then, I heard her come in. I let a tiny smile cross my face. "Sister," I said. The entire council smiled, pleased to see one of their loved ones returned.

"Hello, Henry." Diana said pleasantly. Kate sat there, her mouth dropped open, as Diana came up to me. I hugged her briefly. She stepped back and looked at her daughter. "Hello, Kate."

"Hi, Mom." Kate whispered.

Diana explained our deception. And then she passed Kate for her test on pride. I held my breath as they went around the circle, one after the other, agreeing that Kate was to become part of our family. The council stepped off of their thrones, a few of them coming to give Kate their congratulations.

Diana and I took a moment after that to explain what had happened. Kate was still in shock, but now that she was one of us, there were things she needed to know. First of all, she needed to know that she was always the last one. Diana told her that the reason she had become mortal was to give birth to Kate and raise her to be the perfect wife and queen for a lonely god of the Underworld. And then she said that Persephone was her other daughter, the first one born a millennia ago. Kate took the information in stride, staying strong just like I'd come to expect from her.

Once Diana departed, Kate and I had a few moments to ourselves. I led her to the room where she'd found out James's secret identity so many months ago. Kate seemed tensed at the idea that I was leading her to what had once been Persephone's bedroom. The memory, apparently, had not escaped her. But when I opened the door and revealed our family and a white wedding arch, she seemed to relax.

We stood together. We said our simple vows. And then I leaned forward to kiss her. Kate was mine, now, mine forever. And she would never, never be alone in the world.

# # #

We spent our wedding night in her bedroom, playing cards. I was not about to make a mistake all over again. Instead, we kept each other company and reveled over the fact that there was nothing hovering over our heads. Well, almost nothing. In the morning, Kate would leave the manor for her allotted six months out of the year.

We all stood at the gates of the manor. James had already volunteered to go with Kate for her six months. That worried me, but I told myself that I couldn't get that obsessed with her. Ava had enlightened me before, when she spoke of the way that Calliope was obsessed with me rather than loved me. Maybe that was what I had felt for Persephone – no love, but obsession. Was it possible? Absolutely. But I'd been deluding myself into thinking that it was love for so long that I wasn't sure what to think anymore.

I watched Kate as she said goodbye to our family members. That felt good to say. It was _our_ family. We were together, now, and there would be nothing that could pull us apart. Not death, not failure, not even a crazed Calliope.

I stepped up to say goodbye to her. "Kate, whatever is waiting for you outside the gate, remember that the summer is yours to do with what you please." I was trying to give her an out, a way not to feel guilty. We had all but pushed her into a relationship with me, after all, and even though she said she loved me, maybe she would want to do a little experimentation. That was what Persephone had done, and she had found that she loathed me. I hoped that it would not be the same for Kate. But I would not trap her like I had trapped Persephone. "It is none of my business what you decide to do with that time."

"I know. And I also know that the way I feel about you isn't going to change just because the seasons do. So if you don't mind too much, I'm going to stick to the vows I made". She smiled. "You can't get rid of me that easily." I tried to say something, tried to explain that she was free, that I was not her captor or her warden. "Henry, enough about that. You're stuck with me whether you like it or not, so you might as well get used to it."

I watched her carefully. "Anytime you need me, I will be by your side. You have my word." She nodded, and I leaned forward to kiss her forehead. "I will be waiting for you when you return." There was something very important that I had to say, something that had been bubbling inside me for months that I just had not recognized. It was time that she knew just how important she was to me. "And I love you."

Kate smiled so brightly I thought her cheeks might hurt. Tears pricked her eyes. "Love you, too." Something broke inside me. I had hoped all along that someone like Kate would come along to pull me out of my misery, to make me see life as something important again. I took a hold of her chin and brought her face to mine. I pressed my lips to hers, hoping that she could feel all that love that I'd kept bottled inside me. It had turned out that I was just waiting for her.

Kate turned and headed down the drive, and I watched her go. And for the first time, I watched my wife, the love of my existence, walk away from me for her six months of freedom, and didn't have a single worry about her not coming back to me.

**This is extremely sad. I mean, I'm thrilled that I've finished it. This is my first finished FanFiction **_**ever**_**. It gives me hope that I will, in fact, complete others and not be weighed down with ten million of them.**

**So here my FanFiction comes to an end. I don't really know what to say here, since it's never happened to me before. I'll just say that I hope all of you enjoyed it thoroughly. I thank you, readers, for taking the time to sit down and read each chapter and leave me reviews, which have been the main reason I continued to update. I greatly appreciate your support.**

**Thanks so much – leave me a final review, please, and if you have any questions and/or comments that you really, really want answered, feel free to send me a PM. So, this is my last update for this story. Thank you all, again.**

**Peace. (:**


End file.
